Catering for people with dysphagia at Care Food Cooking Competition and Gerontech and Innovation Expo

With the population aging, difficulty swallowing, or dysphagia, has become a prevalent health issue more than ever. To offer more dining options for those with dysphagia, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) has been dedicated to promoting the concept of Care Food since 2017.

Heightening dysphagia awareness and serving nourishing, dysphagia-friendly meals in every district, the HKCSS has held the sixth Care Food Cooking Competition and Care Food area set up in the Gerontech and Innovation Expo for the eighth year.

Integrating Care Food into the community

Local caregivers and, for the first time, foreign domestic helpers were invited to join the Care Food Cooking Competition 2024.  It was organized by the HKCSS and supported by strategic partners and sponsors – Kerry Group, ZeShan Foundation and China Merchants Foundation.

Themed ‘Travel with Care Food’, the competition was aimed at transforming the food that family members of those with dysphagia once liked during their travels into Care Food, enabling them to rediscover the pleasure of eating and relive precious memories.

Eight finalists were selected to participate in workshops and pre-competition exercises regarding innovative Care Food together with students from the International Culinary Institute under the guidance of professionals.

“It is one thing to prepare Care Food for individuals with dysphagia, but quite another to make exquisite Care Food in a competition,” noted Chau Hoi-wai, Chief Executive of HKCSS.

Ho Kai-ming, Under Secretary for Labor and Welfare, said that Hong Kong is one of the leading regions in the world for longevity, with the median life expectancy of women being 86 years. Care Food provides a good option for the elderly and those with swallowing difficulties.

Two of the foreign domestic helpers, Rhea Padua and Winarwit, are also caregivers and received support from their employers to participate in the competition. Rhea’s employer, Miranda Tsang, was herself a contestant. She made an elaborate seafood Care Food, allowing her husband, who had difficulty swallowing, to regain the joy of his maritime hobby. As for the Gourmet Food award, it was won by Hiew Yin-ping, whose Sandakan cuisine revived her mother’s fond memories in Malaysia.

The awards were presented jointly by Ho Kai-ming and Chua Ho-wai at the Gerontech Expo. The judging panel comprised a speech therapist, a dietitian and culinary experts. Praising how delectable the foods were, they pointed out that the dishes took nutritional needs into account, and that they could feel the love and care of the contestants.

Uniting in Care Food Gourmet Plaza

In line with the Care Food concept of “Care Food Around You”, the HKCSS set up the Care Food Gourmet Plaza at Gerontech and Innovation Expo. About 30 units participated, including social welfare agencies, commercial organizations, catering groups, medical-related institutions and local universities, spread across different themed areas, such as Product and Service Booths, Care Food Seed Restaurant Zone, Education Hall and Care Food Kitchen. It is hoped that all sectors in the community would join forces to promote Care Food, thus offering people with dysphagia a variety of meal options.

Visit the website to know more about Care Food: https://www.carefood.org.hk/en

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