Sweet snack puts all aged care residents first
As chefs in aged care kitchens around Australia grapple with the regulatory demands to cater for an array of resident needs and preferences, the latest innovation from The Pure Food Co is helping make mealtimes more inclusive for everyone.
Renowned for its award-winning texture modified meals, The Pure Food Co recently launched a range of delicious, nutritionally rich desserts which are cleverly designed for residents on standard diets and texture modified diets.
Company co-founder and co-CEO Sam Bridgewater said the new creamy lemon cheesecake and chocolate mud slice are “all about breaking down the barriers” that often separate residents on texture modified diets from the people they dine with.
“Mealtimes are meant to be a shared, social experience where everyone feels included but we know that in aged care that’s not always possible,” Bridgewater said.
“These desserts wouldn’t look or taste out of place in a French patisserie, but they’ve been subtly designed so they can be enjoyed by people with swallowing difficulties too.”
That “all-important human factor” was the key driver behind the innovation.
“When everyone, regardless of dietary needs, can participate in mealtimes, it honours their identity and reinforces a sense of belonging.”
With the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards in force, The Pure Food Co’s sweet slices range helps make life simpler for chefs in the sector. Now there’s a simple and delicious go-to option that they know everyone can safely enjoy.
Deliberately designed for busy aged care kitchens, chefs just slice, plate and serve – while they also provide the perfect blank canvas to create something they can put their unique stamp on.
Each slice has been created with nutrition in mind too. Every person needs around 50 per cent more protein in their diet as they age – regardless of whether they’re on a regular or texture modified diet. The Pure Food Co Sweet Slices help meet this crucial nutritional need.
The desserts, which are gluten free, contain 5g of protein and 114mg of calcium per 50g serving.
“We wanted to create a dessert that everyone could tuck into so chefs had a delicious, nutritionally-rich option they knew would see empty plates returned to the kitchen every single time,” Bridgewater said.
“Older Aussies deserve the very best in life wherever they are on their ageing journey and now everyone can quite literally have their cake and eat it too.”