North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Texture-modified meals offered
No one should miss out on delicious, nutritious food – especially when they are recovering from an illness, injury or age-related causes that make it hard to eat.
Three kiwi entrepreneurs have joined forces to make sure they don’t by creating an innovative solution in texture modified food.
The Pure Food Co launched in October 2014 to meet the needs of the tens of thousands of New Zealanders who experience difficulty chewing, swallowing or digesting food.
It provides cost-effective and convenient texture modified foods that can help people heal and thrive when they are at their most vulnerable and are in need of the best nourishment.
The Pure Food Co was founded by brothers Sam and New Zealand Olympic rower George Bridgewater, with business partner Maia Royal, after the brothers watched a family member’s illness make it impossible to eat conventional food, requiring a radically modified diet.
‘‘Our stepfather was recovering from mouth cancer and faced eating difficulties and challenges. The eating experience was far from ideal with delicious, nutritious meal options seriously limited. This created another unnecessary level of stress at a time when there was already a lot going on,’’ co-founder of The Pure Food Co Sam Bridgewater says.
Chefs, food technologists, and healthcare experts dietitians, doctors, dentists, nurses and speech language therapists - were all consulted during the development phase.
‘‘Our research convinced us that if texture modified food was nutritious, delicious and easy, the quality of life for the many New Zealanders with eating difficulties would be significantly improved,’’ Sam says.
Pure Food was developed over an 18 month period to achieve optimal flavour, nutrition and texture, especially for people with eating difficulties. The result is a range a meals - including golden roast chicken, smoked barbecue pork and creamy fish pie – which are being delivered nationwide to hundreds of individuals and care-providers, including agedcare.
The Pure Food Co sells direct to individuals and careproviders through www.thepurefoodco.co.nz, by phone on 0800 1PURE FOOD (0800 178 733) and is now available in-store at Life Pharmacy Orewa.