New dishes – which are available from October - include: gammon and pineapple, fish fingers and a vegetarian burger - all served with baked chips or jacket wedges, carrots and broccoli.
Claiming the meals are “suitable for patients requiring food they can eat with their fingers”, Anglia Crown said this can include people with dementia, upper limb injuries, IV cannulas in situ, those who have suffered a stroke as well as children.
The news follows the Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment’s (PLACE) process, which called for greater awareness of the need for finger foods in hospitals.
Managing director at Anglia Crown, Paul Howell, said: “Our Crown Advantage finger food range has been developed with the aim of improving patient satisfaction as it provides a dignified meal option, enhancing the food and drink experience for patients who would otherwise struggle to eat.
“Progressive under-nutrition is particularly common among people with dementia who can start to lose weight for several reasons such as forgetting to eat or not being able to recognise food.
“Research has shown finger foods can help improve nutritional uptake for people with dementia and stimulate them to eat more frequently. Highly visible crockery such as the use of blue plates in hospitals has also led to an increase in food consumption.
“After a clear need for an alternative dining solution for certain patient groups was identified through patient-led assessments, we set about developing a wide range of easy-to-eat menu options as part of Crown Choice.
“This has been well received by the hospitals we supply and so it was a natural progression to adapt our offering to produce a complete individual frozen finger food meal solution.
“We are proud to be introducing five new Crown Advantage finger food meals to the foodservice market.”