Academic Journal
Evaluating and simulating long-term care menus to meet nutrient- and food-based standards.
| Τίτλος: | Evaluating and simulating long-term care menus to meet nutrient- and food-based standards. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Middleton CG; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H2, Canada., Zaltz DA; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H2, Canada.; School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 5Z3, Canada., Lee JJ; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H2, Canada.; School of Nutrition, Faculty of Community Services, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada., L'Abbé MR; Department of Nutritional Sciences, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3H2, Canada. mary.labbe@utoronto.ca. |
| Πηγή: | BMC geriatrics [BMC Geriatr] 2026 Jul 13; Vol. 26 (1). Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 13. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100968548 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1471-2318 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14712318 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Geriatr Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001]- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Long-Term Care*/standards , Long-Term Care*/methods , Menu Planning*/standards , Menu Planning*/methods , Nutritional Requirements*/physiology , Food Services*/standards , Nutritive Value* , Nutrition Policy*, Canada/epidemiology ; Humans |
| Περίληψη: | Background: Most provinces require long-term care (LTC) home menus to meet nutrient requirements and align with Canada's food guide (CFG-2019). However, compliance remains challenging for dietitians and food service staff due to limited tools and guidance to support implementation in practice. This study evaluated current and simulated LTC menus against nutrient- and food-based standards to identify the characteristics of menus meeting both requirements. Methods: A database of 1,365 menu items from a four-week LTC menu cycle provided by a major North American foodservice company was used to simulate 10,000 one-day LTC menus. Compliance with LTC-specific nutrient targets and alignment with CFG-2019 were assessed. Menus meeting both standards were further evaluated using the Canadian Food Scoring System (CFSS) and Healthy Eating Food Index (HEFI)-2019. Results: Current LTC menus (n = 28) met most macronutrient and 10 micronutrient targets, with a mean HEFI-2019 score of 45.3/80 (57%), below the desired 75% compliance threshold. Of the 10,000 simulated menus, 28 met all nutrient-based targets and six met both nutrient- and food-based standards. These compliant menus provided an average of 2,857 kcal, 107 g protein, 32 g fibre, and a mean HEFI-2019 score of 61.7/80 (77%). On average, 58% of menu items were classified as "Good & Excellent" according to the CFSS, with approximately 10 serving equivalents of fruits and vegetables, 2.5 of whole grains, and 5 of protein foods. Conclusion: Although provincial regulations require LTC menus to comply with both nutrient- and food-based standards, full compliance was not achieved using foods available from a single large provider. Nutrient-compliant menus were characterized by higher energy provision and greater nutrient density, underscoring the need for more healthy options and practical supports, including LTC-specific planning tools, food guide serving benchmarks, and accessible resources to facilitate routine menu planning and regulatory compliance. (© 2026. The Author(s).) |
| Competing Interests: | Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. |
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| Grant Information: | Grant #473415 Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto Pre-Partnership Grant |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Canada’s food guide; Dietary Reference Intakes; HEFI-2019; Long-term care; Menu planning |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260712 Date Completed: 20261009 Latest Revision: 20261010 |
| Update Code: | 20261010 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC13647528 |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12877-026-07740-z |
| PMID: | 42437881 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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