Pioneering Innovative Food for Seniors (PIFS) - 8th September 2022
Spotlight on food for seniors
The Food Innovation Centre at the University of Nottingham held a very successful event on the theme of healthy eating for the older generation.
It was run under the banner of the Pioneering Innovative Food for Seniors (PIFS) project – a programme funded with support from the European Commission which provides an open source training programme for vocational education and training SMEs in the commercialisation of nutrient-enriched foods for the elderly.
The Food Innovation Centre is one of the PIFS partners, along with other organisations in Germany, Spain, Ireland, Lithuania and Denmark.
Head of the Food Innovation Centre Richard Worrall welcomed delegates who included representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in the food sector and others with an interest in the subject of food for seniors.
Then Dr Moira Taylor, Associate Professor in Human Nutrition (Dietetics) at the University of Nottingham, gave a presentation entitled Healthy Ageing: What is the current status of the science?
She introduced a broad view of the diverse and dynamic nature of the nutritional needs of older people and explored the practical opportunities for reducing nutritional vulnerability.
The second speaker was Kirandeep Marsh, a Health Care of Older People Research Dietitian at the Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and a Master’s in Research Student at the University of Nottingham. She gave a presentation entitled Healthy Ageing: Elderly Nutrition, which focused on how the NHS manages the nutritional challenges faced by older adults in hospital and talked about the new exciting research currently being undertaken at Queen’s Medical Centre which seeks a solution to reduce malnutrition – including the development of the Nottingham Ice Cream Project.
The event, held at the Sutton Bonington Campus of the University of Nottingham, concluded with break-out sessions and questions.
Richard Worrall said: “I’d like to thank our speakers for providing such interesting food for thought and sharing with us some of the challenges and solutions in the area of elderly nutrition. The feedback from delegates who attended the event was very positive.”