Some homes need a menu reviewed; others need one written. This service is for the second case: a cycle that has drifted from the standards, a new site with no menu yet, or a home moving to seasonal menus. Sandra Fraser, a registered dietitian, writes the cycle with your kitchen’s equipment, staffing and residents in mind, and signs the result.
- Type A homes, and type B and supportive living operators that provide a meal, fluids and a snack daily, need a cycle of at least three weeks, measured against Canada’s Food Guide (2007).
- The standards also ask for variety, seasonal variation and a choice within at least one food group at every meal. A cycle is written to all of these at once.
- You receive the cycle in your own format, with summer and winter versions if you run them, and a signed review of the finished menu.
What the standards ask of a cycle
For a type A continuing care home, the menu is at minimum a three-week cycle that meets Canada’s Food Guide (2007), and a registered dietitian reviews and approves it. Type B homes and supportive living accommodations carry the same cycle and food-guide rules where the operator provides a meal, fluids and a snack daily, and need an approver once they accommodate 11 or more residents.
Across all three classes the standards add variety and seasonal variation, and a choice from within at least one food group at every meal. A menu can be the right length and still miss these, which is why they are written in from the start rather than checked at the end.
The guides set out how long the cycle must be and who must approve it, by licence class.
What you receive
- A three- or four-week cycle in the format your kitchen already uses, or a clean one if you have none.
- Summer and winter versions, if your home runs seasonal menus.
- A choice within at least one food group at every meal, marked so your team can see it.
- Recipes or recipe references for each item, and portion notes for the cooks.
- A signed review letter for the finished cycle, the same document a menu review produces.
Residents on minced or puréed diets can have texture-modified versions of the same cycle.
How it works
- A short call about your residents, kitchen, budget and any menu your team already likes.
- A first draft of the cycle for your food service lead to comment on.
- Up to three rounds of revisions, then the signed cycle and review letter.
If you already have a cycle and only need it checked, the menu review is the smaller job.
Common questions
What do we need to provide for a new cycle?
Your current cycle if you have one, your meal times and service style, your kitchen’s equipment and any dishes residents ask for. No resident information is needed.
Is the written cycle signed off?
Yes. The finished cycle comes with a signed review letter from the registered dietitian who wrote it, the same document a menu review produces.
Can you write a menu for a home that uses a menu software system?
Yes. The cycle can be written to match how your system stores menus, so your team can enter it once and keep using the software you have.
A written and signed cycle is a professional opinion about the menu as written. It does not establish that meals are served as planned, and it is not a finding of compliance, which only Alberta’s inspectors make. The standards differ by licence class; confirm yours before relying on this page.