Nutrition technology company and IHHC Gold Supporter The Pure Food Co has taken out the Innovation of the Year category at the Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards in Singapore.

“We were recognised for our development of a nutritional system to improve the health of aged care residents and hospital patients,” says The Pure Food Co’s Australian Director Chris Deed.

“We were up against nine others in the food space, some from Australia and others from Southeast Asia, including product suppliers and aged care groups showcasing their nutritional systems, so it was a great achievement to win.”

Chris explains that The Pure Food Co is not just a supplier of texture modified product but an entire nutritional system – “products are a key part, but we surround that with implementation support, menu training and tools training to care staff, families and so on – in fact a full system for an aged care network.

“This is customised to each group we’re working with – we work closely with them to understand what their needs are, help them to solve any issues and provide them with a demonstrable outcome. And through our international presence we’re able to gather insights across markets and work with customers across borders – we’re currently in 80 per cent of aged care in New Zealand and every public hospital, and in July of last year we launched in France where we’re working with some of their biggest providers. With the new Australian Aged Care standards coming in, we’re currently looking at how we can use our system here as a risk mitigation tool.”

Chris says the clinical benefits of providing a nutrition system like that which The Pure Food Co offers include maintenance of weight and muscle mass, resulting in reduction in falls and serious illness. The system is said to create efficiencies for aged care and health service providers, lower costs, reduce food wastage and improve residents’ health and satisfaction, while removing the costs, processes and risks associated with producing texture modified foods in house.

Co-Founder and Co-Director Sam Bridgewater, who started the company after his stepfather became ill and couldn’t find meals he wanted to eat – thereby slowing his recovery - says the award recognised the years spent developing simple food programs which people could enjoy while also improving their health outcomes.

“As they age, older people need as much protein as elite athletes. But most are getting 60 per cent less than they need, resulting in lower muscle mass, more falls, hospitalisations and ill-health. If we can turn that around, we can improve our quality of life as we age,” Sam says.

“Our texture modified foods include 41 per cent more protein than comparable meals and 60 per cent more energy. Through our work with aged care providers and hospitals we’ve been able to show that weight loss in residents has fallen by 38 per cent, falls have reduced by 27 per cent and wound care has reduced by 26 per cent, because people are healthier and they’re healing at a faster rate.”*

Chris Deed emphasises it’s essential that residents are provided with the most nutritional food available to enable them to have a higher quality of life.

“We know that many aged care providers modify their own textures and foods, but we think it’s important to ensure they’re fortified with protein and other plant-based nutrients, and safe for residents that require a texture modified diet,” Chris says.

“Malnutrition has a massive impact on the health system, and we know that malnourished residents are eight times more likely to have a fall, leading to hospitalisations and the need for wound care.

“While easing pressure on the health system, our meals can also reduce inhouse food production costs for aged care providers, allowing staff to be redirected towards other activities such as speaking and engaging with residents.”

Sam Bridgewater says The Pure Food Co has been working closely with chefs to develop 4,500 meal options, and work is ongoing to continuously improve its offerings. Many of its customer team also have nutrition and dietetics backgrounds, ensuring customers are supported with information and expertise. To find out more about The Pure Food Co, click here.

*Based on an INTERAI study of 5,000 aged care residents over a three-year period, including before starting on a Pure Food diet, during and afterwards.