OMNI to improve meals for residents with special dietary needs
Monday, October 30, 2006 -- Natalie Miller
OMNI is enhancing the culinary experience for residents who have special dietary needs by serving tastier and more eye-pleasing pureed meals.

The long-term care provider is ordering pre-packaged pureed food that is individually contained, to provide more cohesion in the overall presentation of pureed meals in its 16 long-term care homes. Currently, while some of the meals arrived to the homes pureed, the majority of food items are pureed by the kitchen staff, resulting in varying textures, says Jean Chilton, nutritional care manager at Frost Manor in Lindsay.

"It will be more consistent," says Jean.
"I think the residents are going to enjoy it."
Jean says the new pureed items are part of OMNI's fall and winter menu that launches mid-November.

Margaret Houston, nutritional care manager at Streamway Villa in Cobourg, says the new foods taste better as well. Nutritional care managers sampled some of the pureed items at an Oct. 5 communities of practice meeting.
"The flavour is wonderful," says Margaret, noting she sampled a salmon sandwich and roast beef entrée.

She agrees with Jean having the foods pre-pureed will result in better consistency. "It depends on the cook, the consistency," she notes. Some people are better at pureeing the foods than others, she says.

As well, having the items individually wrapped is beneficial, the nutritional care manager says. For example, the potatoes and vegetables are separate from the meat entrée, served similarly to a meal that isn't pureed. "It looks like everybody else's except it's pureed," says Margaret. "That is very important to some residents. If it looks like a jumbled mess it isn't going to taste good."
Presentation impacts appetite and there's definitely a link between appearance and perceived taste, she adds.

Jean says having the meals pre-pureed will also benefit kitchen staff. "It will be a little less time consuming for our staff. In a busy world, in a busy place like this, you could always use extra time."