According to recent research carried out by meals provider, apetito, in partnership with Care England, 88% of care homes find it challenging to ensure that all residents are receiving the correct level of nutrition.

Compared to research conducted in 2023, the latest findings reveal an alarming rise from 29% - suggesting that the current landscape of care catering is making it increasingly difficult for homes to confidently deliver appropriate nutrition across all resident groups.

Equally concerning is the decline in care homes with personalised nutrition plans in place for every resident – dropping from around half to just 17% based on latest data. Delving into this challenge further found that the complexity of implementing an individualised approach to mealtimes is a key barrier, further showcasing the impact that operational challenges appear to be having on care catering.

When asked specifically about catering for residents living with food allergies, 57% of care providers identified cross-contamination as a concern - up from 40% in previous findings. This is conducive with the general growing awareness around allergen management and prevalence in society and highlights the challenges this poses within catering.

Richard Woodward, General Manager of Care Homes at apetito says:

“We all understand the importance of getting nutrition right within care home catering – it’s fundamental in supporting resident health and maintaining quality of life. However, the complexity of this is often an under-recognised challenge, especially as dietary needs become more diverse and clinically important.

“Therefore, it is concerning to hear just how stretched many homes are when it comes to delivering personalised nutrition.

“Preprepared meal solutions, designed with both nutrition and convenience in mind, can be an invaluable tool in easing some of the operational burden for homes and supporting catering teams to deliver safe, tailored meals in a more manageable way.

“And it seems this sentiment is recognised in the sector, with research showing that 6 in 10 homes would look at switching to a preprepared meal solution if allergen safety and ‘free-from’ standards could be guaranteed.”

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England added further comment on the findings:

“The right nutrition is a vital part of delivering good quality care, and over the years, the increased complexity of the people who live in care homes makes it even more important that people receive a balanced and nutritionally rich diet. This research shows that we must refocus on the important role of nutrition and develop appropriate plans for each individual so that they can maximise the quality of their lives.”

Discover more about how apetito’s extensive range of meals - catering for a wide array of nutritional needs - can take the hard work out of catering in care homes here.