Contingency planning with nutritional benefits

Contingency planning with nutritional benefits 

Article by Diana Morris of Fuel Your Preparation, part of European Freeze Dry  

Eating healthy nutritious food is proven to play a protective part in a range of age-related conditions and helps protect oral and dental health as well as bone and joint health. 

For care homes, being able to provide a continuous supply of nutritious food to their residents is a crucial part in the role they play, whilst also helping to maintain morale and mental health.

During crises such as the pandemic, or a power cut or flood for example, it is reassuring to know that their residents’ diet is unaffected by other external influences out of their control.

Freeze dried food from Fuel Your Preparation – part of European Freeze Dry – offers healthy food packed with as much nutrition as the day it was made, with its meal range offering favourites such as chicken tikka with rice, pasta bolognaise, beef stew, spicy pasta arrabiata and five bean cassoulet. Ingredients include green beans, beef mince and white rice.

Ingredients and staple items come in tins and include diced chicken and minced beef. The range also provides Halal, vegan and vegetarian options.

For care homes, the benefits of freeze dried food come with its ease of storage, being light and easy to transport and a shelf life of up to 25 years in tins and seven years in pouches.

We don’t know when the next major emergency will happen or where it will come from so for care home managers, the lessons are how to prepare.

A range of other sector organisations recognise the benefits of contingency planning with freeze dried food including including emergency services, oil and gas installations and prisons. Indeed, organisations called into crisis situations worldwide often turn to this type of food because of the ease and flexibility it offers.

Containing carbohydrates and protein, freeze dried foods are easy to prepare by just adding water. Freeze dried ingredients are produced by removing the water from the original product and retaining the nutrition and taste.

Fuel Your Preparation is a trading company of European Freeze Dry, and supplies freeze dried food and ingredients through the UK and Europe from its factories in Preston, UK, and Kirke Hyllinge, Denmark. The full range of Fuel Your Preparation products can be found on the website.

Diana Morris is Country Manager UK for European Freeze Dry