Moulded texture-modified food production is a growing industry in Australia. Aged Care homes realise that buying premade moulded texture-modified products saves time and improves quality. The emphasis on texture-modified foods is expected to sharply increase with the introduction of the revised Aged Care Standards in 2025. One issue with moulded foods is that while they look great on the plate before heating, if not handled correctly, the presentation could decline. Ensuring that meal presentation integrity remains high is essential not only for the resident receiving the meal but also so that the added expense of moulded foods is justified. This project aimed to explore the total cost of texture-modified meals and compare several pieces of equipment for reheating in terms of meal presentation quality.
The total cost of texture-modified foods over a full day of three meals and two snacks was calculated. Breakfast consisted of unmoulded foods such as puree porridge and fruit, scrambled eggs, and yogurt. The main and evening meal and two snacks were moulded products. The re-therming equipment trialled was a combi-oven, hot fridge, SpeedX and hot box. These were trialled using three standard meals to determine meal presentation quality after reheating. Temperature trials examined food safety aspects for rapid and slower reheating methods.
The results showed the total daily meal cost for moulded texture-modified foods was approximately $22.00, with an average meal cost of $8.00 and a snack of $2.00. The average food cost per resident per day from the 2022 Food & Nutrition report was $14.46. Therefore, the cost of providing texture-modified meals was approximately 36% higher. Staff needed training and skill development to adjust heating time depending on the food products, and food safety considerations need to be considered when using equipment with longer heating times.
Considering the additional costs of moulded texture-modified meals, cooks/chefs should work with equipment companies across product ranges to determine the equipment setting and application that will support the highest-quality presentation of these meals.