Health minister tells Alberta Health Services to drop 21-Day Menu

In a short announcement today, Alberta Health Minister Fred Horne said he is directing Alberta Health Services to discontinue the practice of preparing meals offsite and reheating, and bring back on-site food preparation services in the long-term care facilities it operates.

The changes must take effect by December 2012.

"We've heard what residents and their families have said about the quality of food in our long-term care facilities and today, we are taking action to improve that," said Horne in the government news release.

"We have to remember that these facilities are home to the people who live there, and in many cases, the last home they will ever live in," he said. "They deserve to live in comfort and dignity and enjoy food that is not only nutritious, but looks and tastes home-cooked and satisfies cultural food preferences."

AHS will be required to prepare meals within their facilities in ways that improve the taste and appearance over the food currently served, while at the same time design meals that better reflect flexibility and choice for residents.

AHS will consult with residents, families and staff to develop and present a plan of action to Horne by October, the news release said. Full implementation of on-site and locally based meal preparation is to be in place by December.

The directive applies to all 73 long-term care facilities operated by AHS across the province. These facilities are home to approximately 2,700 residents

The news release made no reference to the term "21-day menu," the term by which the unappetizing trucked-in meals were known by at AHS after the idea was implemented during the leadership of former AHS CEO Stephen Duckett.