Cloud Kitchen Services: ANSI Seeks Feedback on Proposed International Workshop Agreement
9/25/2020
Submit Comments by October 9
With the rapid development of the takeout market, cloud kitchens, also commonly known as shared kitchens, are a mainstay for the restaurant industry, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) encourages its stakeholders to submit feedback on a proposal for an International Workshop Agreement (IWA) on cloud kitchen service by October 9, 2020. SAC, the Standardization Administration of China, submitted the proposal to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Management Board for consideration.
Cloud Kitchens are on the Rise
Cloud kitchens are restaurants that operate via food delivery service, in place of traditional sit down dining facilities. As delivery-only restaurants, the primary source of order-taking is through the internet, or "cloud," as there are no physical storefront customers. Cloud kitchen service is increasing in popularity as COVID-19 disrupts the restaurant industry as more customers dine at home.
At the same time, the proposal asserts that the emergence of the "cloud kitchen" has also caused some supervision problems, which are different from those faced by the traditional catering industry. For example, in the process of intensive catering operation, there are challenges surrounding how to formulate industry operation standards such as sharing, transparency, equipment, and facilities assembly line(s).
The IWA proposal provides guidelines for sharing and cooperation among catering enterprises on cloud kitchen, and according to SAC, work on cloud kitchen service would help support catering enterprises to be more resilient and productive.
All interested U.S. parties are invited to review the proposal, which features related existing ISO/work and relevant affected stakeholders. Submit comments to Steven Cornish, ANSI senior director of international policy and strategy, at [email protected] by close of business on Friday, October 9, 2020. ANSI is the U.S. member body to ISO.
Read related article: What Will the Rise of Virtual Restaurants Mean for Food Safety?
What is an IWA?
An IWA is a type of document that is developed with direct participation of stakeholders outside of the traditional ISO country representation system to enable players to negotiate in an open workshop environment. After the IWA workshop, text will be edited and published. A proposal to hold an ISO workshop for the purpose of developing one or more IWAs on a particular subject may come from any source, including ISO member bodies, liaison organizations, corporate bodies, etc.
