The ‘We Care, Because You Do’ campaign highlights products and support on offer to help care homes manage current financial and practical challenges whilst meeting residents’ needs.
Research from Brakes found there’s been a 179% rise in online searches for ‘care home food menu’ over the last year and a 100% rise for ‘care home nutrition’ over the last three months alone.
Cathy Amos, head of healthcare customer marketing at Brakes, said: "We understand the financial strain and regulatory uncertainties care homes face in delivering exceptional dining experiences amidst food inflation challenges and Government funding social care uncertainty.
"Our relaunched expert care home page is a testament to our commitment to supporting care home operators and catering managers by providing them with practical advice and innovative solutions at this time. We aim to empower care homes to continue providing residents with nutritious and enjoyable meals while navigating these difficult circumstances.”
Brakes has updated its dedicated care page on its website to provide insights into how care caterers can save money, reduce waste and manage kitchen skills shortages. Other key resources include:
- Free downloadable four week menu cycle plan
- Product guide & dish ideas
- Downloadable calendar for occasions and cultural events
- Easy-to-read factsheets
- Free nutritional training course
Ruth O’Sullivan, nutritionist at Brakes, added: “Care caterers have a huge responsibility to not only provide tasty and appealing meals but to also support residents with complex nutritional needs. With this in mind, we have created a number of nutrition resources to help support our customers. We have advice leaflets on catering for health conditions like diabetes and malnutrition, plus others focussed on nutrients such as fibre, iron and salt.
“We also have an online nutrition course that has been certified by the Association for Nutrition. It provides information on eating well for older adults and catering for special dietary needs like malnutrition, diabetes, dementia and dysphagia. We want to provide our customers with easy access to nutrition resources, that they can rely on to support their own development and ultimately help support the nutritional needs of their residents.”