Type B homes and supportive living accommodations must keep a record of the meals served and any substitutions made to the menu, for at least three months. Type A homes, type B homes and supportive living accommodations must all make substitutions from within the same food groups, at similar nutritional value, and tell residents. This service gives your kitchen a record it can actually keep on a busy shift, and has a registered dietitian check the substitutions it shows.
- The three-month record applies to type B homes and supportive living. Type A has no three-month retention clause, though its information guide expects substitutions to be recorded.
- The substitution rule applies to all three classes: same food group, similar nutritional value, communicated to residents.
- You receive a one-page daily log, a list of standing substitutions checked by a dietitian, and a review of the record each quarter.
Two provisions, often confused
The record and the substitution rule are separate obligations. A home can keep a perfect record of substitutions that were never from the same food group, or make sound substitutions and keep no record of them. Both are checked.
The menu records guide sets out how the record duty differs by licence class.
Standing substitutions can also be written into the cycle itself, so the kitchen has an answer before a shortage happens.
What you receive
- A one-page daily log for each meal: what was planned, what was served, any substitution and the reason.
- A list of standing substitutions for common shortages, each checked by the dietitian for food group and nutritional value.
- A short note for residents explaining a substitution, ready to post with the daily menu.
- A quarterly review of the log, with any substitution that did not hold up written out.
Common questions
Can you write standing substitutions for us?
Yes. The list covers the common shortages for your cycle, each checked for food group and nutritional value, so the kitchen has an answer ready.
What makes a menu substitution acceptable?
The Alberta standards ask that a substitution come from within the same food groups, provide similar nutritional value, and be communicated to residents. Replacing a Meat and Alternatives item with a Grain Products item, for example, would not meet the first test.
Do we need software to keep the record?
No. The standard does not prescribe a format. It asks for a record of meals served and any substitutions, kept for at least three months, and a paper or spreadsheet log can be that record.
This service provides a record format and a dietitian’s review of the substitutions it shows. Keeping the record each day remains the operator’s responsibility, and the review is not a finding of compliance. Requirements differ by licence class; confirm yours before relying on this page.