Meats for dysphagia: Hormel launches easy-to-swallow meals
09 Jul 2020 --- Hormel Foods’ Health Labs division has unveiled Thick & Easy IDDSI Level 5 Ready Meats to provide safe, enjoyable nutrition for those on dysphagia diets, in line with International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI). Dysphagia – the medical term used to describe swallowing difficulty – can lead to nutritional deficiencies, affects one in 25 adults globally and can occur in any age group, but mostly ails seniors. The meals also offer convenience in the kitchen as they can be prepared in just a matter of minutes, the company says.
“Dysphagia can make eating very uncomfortable for seniors. Imagine excessively coughing with every bite. The right texture-modified food can bring the enjoyment back for them and make foods easier to swallow while offering good flavors and aromas to stimulate appetite,” Tim Garry, Director of Marketing for Hormel Health Labs, tells NutritionInsight. 
Garry adds that by improving the eating experience, food consumption can go up and deliver the much needed nutrition to support health and promote recovery. “We created the level five meats with a very simple ingredient statement and we are going to continue to update all of our pureed products with simple ingredients.”
Preparing meat for someone with dysphagia can be difficult because it has to be ground to a specific, standardized consistency for safety and comfort reasons, the company supports. Preparing meat for someone with dysphagia can be difficult because it has to be ground to a specific, standardized consistency for safety and comfort reasons, the company supports.
Thick & Easy IDDSI Level 5 Ready Meats are available in chicken, beef, turkey and pork. They can be stored frozen or refrigerated and the resealable packaging allows for portioning out the necessary amount while saving the rest for later. Each meat can be mixed with a variety of sauces to allow for creativity with dysphagia diets while maintaining IDDSI standards.They simply need to be cooked on a stovetop or in the microwave and served.
“Our job is to develop products that are easy to prepare and still taste great for those on dysphagia diets,” adds Garry. “Our Thick & Easy IDDSI Level 5 Ready Meats provide a solid source of protein that can be prepared quickly while still delivering a tasty and enjoyable meal.”
“The meals provide four minced proteins that were developed with a proprietary method to control particulate size. This allows kitchen staff a convenient way for serving IDDSI level 5 meats safely. For the launch we had several virtual presentations and developed a number of recipes to show the versatility of the products and how easy they are to use,” Garry notes.
At the moment, the company does not have global plans for the new product, however, IDDSI is a global initiative so Hormel Foods envisions the possibility to “expand the availability over time.”
“We have developed staff training for IDDSI utilization for the kitchen staff preparing the food and even offer IDDSI test kits. We will plan to continue to bring education to the industry to help optimize patient care,” Garry details, speaking about the company’s future plans.
Previously, Hormel Health Labs developed coffee sticks for people suffering from dysphagia, coined Thick & Easy Coffee Sticks. The sticks were the latest addition to the company’s line of Thick and Easy hot drink mixes. The company has formulated the coffee sticks with xanthan gum as the thickening agent, which is easier to swallow compared to other, more traditional thickening agents, such as starches. The product is also decaffeinated to help individuals avoid dehydration.
In the same space, Lithuanian scientists previously developed an innovative micronutrient-rich food product for elderly people with swallowing difficulties. The researchers from Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) tested the food with a group of geriatric patients. The trial showed that the nutritional state and the health indicators of the patients improved significantly after ten days of consuming the product. The new food is touted as visually attractive and tasty.
By Kristiana Lalou
