Helping You Meet the New In-Home Aged Care Meal Obligations

Aged Care Meal Requirements Are Changing — Are You Ready?

As part of Australia’s reformed Aged Care Quality Standards, in-home aged care and community respite providers are now responsible for ensuring that meals and refreshments are nutritionally adequate, culturally appropriate, and aligned with individual care needs.

Whether your meals are cooked on-site or delivered by a third party, you are accountable for the quality, safety, and suitability of every meal provided.

Example aged care menu review assessment

Why Work with Optimum Intake Dietitians?

At Optimum Intake Dietitians, we specialise in aged care menu reviews, nutrition audits, and mealtime assessments that help you meet compliance with ease. Our team of Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) has deep experience working with aged care and childcare providers to improve meal quality and ensure regulatory compliance.

We Help You:

  • Meet new aged care meal obligations with confidence
  • Deliver nutritious, culturally safe, and enjoyable meals
  • Provide documentation that satisfies audit and accreditation requirements
  • Get clarity on what you need through our Aged Care Nutrition Consultancy services
  • Partner with Optimum Intake’s experienced dietitians who understand your sector
Aged care kitchen

Our Aged Care Menu Review Services

We provide a comprehensive service to aged care meal providers, including:

Menu Compliance Reviews

Detailed assessments of your full menu cycle (2–4 week) against:

  • Aged Care Quality Standards
  • Australian Dietary Guidelines for Older Adults
  • Texture, allergy, and cultural requirements
  • IDDSI texture modification standards

You’ll receive a compliance report with clear recommendations and we will collaboratively support you to implemented and achieve what’s required.

Recipe & Refreshment Analysis

We analyse your recipes for:

  • Nutritional value and portion adequacy
  • Suitability for common aged care conditions (e.g. dysphagia, diabetes)
  • Culturally diverse ingredients and preferences

Documentation & Reporting

We help you build or refine:

  • Policy and procedure documents related to meal delivery
  • Meal labelling, dietary codes, and allergen declarations
  • Written evidence to demonstrate due diligence in audits

Collaborative Menu Planning

Let us co-design future menu cycles with your team, focused on:

  • Taste, appeal, and variety
  • Budget and storage constraints
  • Facility layout and equipment optimising workflow
  • Enhanced nutrition for older adults

Staff Training & Support

Optional training sessions tailored for:

  • Support workers and carer partners
  • Kitchen and food service teams
  • Allied health and clinical staff

We provide certificates of participation and easy-to-understand resources that you and your team can refer back to when needed.

Serving broccoli

Let’s Talk

Looking to improve your meal services or prepare for your next audit?

Contact Optimum Intake Dietitians to discuss your menu review needs.