RxFood is excited to announce that we are leading a project that uses our validated AI-powered nutritional assessment technology to improve resident nutrition and reduce food waste in long term care.

In collaboration with Partners Community Health, PointClickCare, DIGITAL and the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners, this project will use AI technology to identify contents on a resident’s food tray and estimate the volume of each food item remaining, how much was consumed, and the corresponding caloric and nutritional value.

“Nutrition is an important aspect of quality care for our seniors,” says Ruben H. Rodriguez, Vice President, Seniors Care and Clinical Services. “Evaluating and implementing technology that would provide a more wholesome assessment of food intake will enable us to improve the quality of care and the menu development in our homes.”

To use the tool, staff will simply take a photo of the resident’s food tray using a tablet or smartphone after a resident is done eating. The information collected will be used to generate a nutritional assessment report to improve resident health, manage costs and reduce food waste. The nutritional analysis will be incorporated into residents’ care plan and will support dietitian assessment and recommendations.

Thank you to DIGITAL, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies; and the Ontario Government for funding this initiative. The pilot project begins today, June 11, and is expected to last approximately 18 months.