The research has also highlighted that economic pressure has not changed since the partners’ previous ‘Nourishing Lives’ report published in 2023.
Whilst food inflation was the key issue driving up costs in 2023, almost all care homes (98%) surveyed cited the changes in National Insurance and National Living Wage as now having the biggest impact on their homes giving additional cost pressures, with 71% forced to make operational or workforce changes as a result.
Among care homes using a pre-prepared meal service, just 30% have had to make changes to their operations, suggesting the potential of this approach to help mitigate some of the impacts on day-to-day care catering.
Richard Woodward, general manager for care homes at Apetito, said: “A growing number of homes are turning to high-quality pre-prepared meals as a solution – requiring fewer hands in the kitchen and minimal training while maintaining a great dining experience that is rich in flavour and nutrition.
“This approach can help to streamline kitchen operations and ensure staff can better meet the personalised nutritional needs of residents – prioritising resident wellbeing in the face of ongoing sector challenges.”
Whilst labour shortages seem to have improved across the sector, down from 75% in 2023, 40% of homes are still finding this to be a struggle – impacting on resident mealtimes and providing added challenge and inconsistency when catering for a wide range of dietary needs.
Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England, added: “Food is an important part of good quality care, it provides, not only social interaction, but also nutritional balance and is vital in delivering quality of life.
“There is a real challenge with rising prices, for care homes to ensure that the quality of their food is maintained, whilst at the same time they must also look to have the most cost-effective options. Recent research by Apetito, has clearly shown that using their preprepared meals, delivers a good dining experience, balanced nutrition and efficient use of resources.”