Lantern Alliance Quality Standards Symposium - QS 6: Food and Nutrition

Access to the meeting is online via Zoom.

Quality Standard 6: Food and Nutrition

In 2025, Lantern Alliance will be running a series of comprehensive, online, symposiums designed to engage key stakeholders, industry professionals, and thought leaders in meaningful conversations about the challenges, opportunities, and best practices for implementing and complying with the strengthened Quality Standards.

Each monthly symposium will focus on one of the Quality Standards and its connection to the food, nutrition, and dining experience. As a part of each session, we will be hosting a panel session which will bring together leading experts, professionals, and residents to discuss the implications of the strengthened standards for aged care providers, carers, catering staff and of course residents. 

Quality Standard 6 – Food and Nutrition – 13 February 2025

Quality Standard 1 – The Person – 13 March 2025

Quality Standard 2 – The Organisation – 10 April 2025

Quality Standard 3 – Care and Services – 8 May 2025

Quality Standard 4 – The Environment – 12 June 2025

Quality Standard 5 – Clinical Care – 10 July 2025

Quality Standard 7 – The Residential Community – 14 August 2025

This Symposium will focus on Quality Standard 6: Food and Nutrition- through the lens of food, nutrition and dining experience.

QS 6 - INTENT

Access to nutritionally adequate food is a fundamental human right. Food, drink and the dining experience can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life. As people age, they may lose their appetite or experience conditions that impact on their ability to eat and drink. As such, it is particularly important that providers engage with older people about what and how they like to eat and drink, deliver choice and meals that are full of flavour, appetising and nutritious (including for older people with texture modified diets), and support older people to consume as much as they want and exercise dignity of risk.

In many cultures, food also plays a large role in fostering feelings of inclusion and belonging. The experience of sharing food and drink with other older people, friends, family and carers is important for many older people.

Providers must draw on Standard 3 in delivering food services to ensure this is informed by robust assessment and planning, and services are delivered in line with the needs, goals and preferences of older people. It is also critical for providers to monitor older people for malnutrition and dehydration and respond appropriately where concerns are identified – this is addressed as part of Standard 5.