Texture Modified Food and Dignified Dining with Chris Deed from the Pure Food Co

The New South Wales coroner recently released findings into two deaths at a Sydney aged care home. Two residents on modified diets for swallowing difficulties.Both choked to death on food they should never have been given. When something like this happens, the response is often to look for who got it wrong. But what if the real issue is how easy it is for things to go wrong in the first place? In this episode, Dane and Rose sit down with Chris Deed from Pure Food Co to discuss what’s actually happening inside aged care kitchens, where the gaps are between care plans and reality, and why something as fundamental as food is still one of the biggest risks in the system. Key moments: 0:00: Two deaths, one system: how does something like this actually happen inside a facility? 2:55: 50% of residents have swallowing difficulties… what that really looks like in your kitchen day to day 04:42: No speech pathologist on site: who’s actually making the call on a resident’s diet? 05:51: Care plan vs reality: how does the wrong meal still end up on the plate? 10:59: IDDSI explained and why misunderstanding it creates real risk 13:07: “Dignity of risk.” Are we signing these off too quickly without fully understanding the consequences? 16:06: Why even well-run kitchens struggle to deliver consistency (and where risk creeps in) 19:16: If nutrition changes outcomes… Why isn’t it treated like a clinical intervention? 21:03: Protein, malnutrition, and what most providers are missing across the day 25:29: What a good texture-modified meal actually looks and tastes like (and why that matters more than you think) 27:11: New Aged Care Act: does the sector finally have the framework to get food right? 31:59: Choking deaths have doubled. What needs to change immediately? 32:09: The real problem Pure Food Co was built to solve 37:57: When food gets done properly… What actually changes for residents? 39:37: From anxiety to eating in the dining room again… A real example of impact 41:39: Inside the kitchen: What most people don’t realise about how aged care food is actually delivered If you want to learn more about The Pure Food Co, head over to www.thepurefoodco.com/aus/,or if you want to chat more with Chris, get in touch on LinkedIn here. Find out more about Pure Food's latest white paper Feeding Strength & Dignity here. — And if you want to connect with Dane and Rose or the Podcast, you can find them on Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dane-mitchell-763ba524 https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-plater-0a111a129 https://www.linkedin.com/company/time-well-spent-podcast