At apetito, Dietitians and Nutritionists play a vital role in ensuring our meals meet the diverse nutritional needs and dietary requirements of care home residents. From product development through to customer support, we are involved at every stage to ensure that the meals we create are both nutritious and delicious, while also catering to those with complex dietary needs.

Nutrition is a core pillar of our product development strategy, and our team of Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists is integral to the process. We collaborate closely with the chefs throughout the meal development process to refine recipes and make sure that our offerings cater to a wide range of dietary preferences and restrictions. The goal here is to remove unnecessary allergens and moderate key nutrients such as saturated fats and salt, ensuring that meals align with our commitment to health and wellness. By following the guidelines set out by the British Dietetic Association’s (BDA) Nutrition and Hydration Digest, we ensure that our meals meet the specific dietary coding criteria, such as higher protein or energy dense options. This is particularly important for residents who are nutritionally vulnerable and may require meals tailored to their health needs.

But the role stretches far beyond only recipe development, with the team actively contributing to other key areas of the business such as identifying areas for improvement in product development or helping to fill any gaps in our current meal offerings. We also support the development of menus for residents with more complex dietary needs, such as those with allergies, intolerances, or specific medical conditions.

Whilst our nutrition team is key across the development of all meals, we have an extended role when looking at development for our texture modified ranges. The nutritional profile of these meals is essential to support the requirements of people living with dysphagia, who are often at greater risk of malnutrition. Furthermore, safety is of utmost importance and our Dietitians and Nutritionists have final approvals that the meals adhere to the criteria specified by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI).

In a customer-facing capacity, our dietetics team are essential for answering customer queries and developing educational resources - helping customers understand common nutritional challenges and how to safely adhere to all dietary needs within their care home. Training is also an instrumental part of the role, providing nutritional education to both apetito staff and customers, empowering them to feel confident in their understanding of nutrition and catering to specialist dietary needs.

In every aspect, our team of Dietitians and Nutritionists ensure that we deliver on meals that support residents’ health and wellbeing, meet a variety of dietary needs, and improve on quality of life through bringing joy back to mealtimes.

To find out more about how apetito can support your care home catering, visit carehomes.apetito.co.uk/about-us