Aged care meal provider invests in X-ray technology

The Pure Food Co is taking food safety for aged care residents to the next level, with its introduction of X-ray technology to protect some of society’s most vulnerable from the risk of choking.

The nutrition technology innovator, which provides texture modified meals to more than 600 aged care homes across Australia, has made the six-figure investment as operators’ food service comes in for heightened scrutiny under the sector’s tough new quality standards. 

The new X-ray inspection system scans all finished meal trays before they leave the company’s manufacturing facility, providing an additional layer of protection against foreign materials such as bone fragments, stone, grit, glass and metal.

The Pure Food Co’s Australian Director Chris Deed said the investment comes as aged care providers’ food safety — particularly for residents on texture modified diets — is attracting intense scrutiny from auditors.

“Food safety has always been an absolute non-negotiable for us, and this provides an extra layer of assurance for operators who are now really under the microscope.

“Recent coronial findings into aged care choking deaths, growing awareness of dysphagia, and the beefed-up quality standards have all reinforced the importance of robust food safety systems.”

Choking is the second most common cause of preventable death in residential aged care in Australia, with recent coronial findings and warnings from health authorities highlighting the urgent need for stronger food safety systems to protect residents with swallowing difficulties.

Deed said the introduction of the X-ray technology means every tray in every production run at The Pure Food Co is scanned before it leaves its facility.

“This is not sample testing. It is a comprehensive inspection process designed to identify hard foreign materials that may have bypassed earlier controls.

“When providers serving our meals are asked by auditors to show evidence they’re safe, they’ll be able to respond with absolute confidence.”

The technology can detect contaminants as small as a fragment of bone the size of the tip of a pen, while also supporting product integrity checks and full batch traceability.

“With so much consolidation in the sector, there are now fewer operators running more facilities across the country,” Deed said.

“That means they need approaches to quality and safety that are consistent, systematic and scalable across their networks.

“When it comes to resident safety, you simply can’t leave anything to chance.”