From 21 September 2026, Northern Health will introduce a new two-week patient menu cycle, designed to continue delivering nutritious, high-quality meals while improving choice, operational efficiency and the overall dining experience for patients and residents.

The new menu is the result of a collaborative effort between Support Services, Dietetics, ISS and Medichef, Northern Health’s central production kitchen partner. Together, the teams have worked to ensure the menu continues to meet Victorian nutritional standards while responding to the evolving needs of our diverse community.

While most patients will notice little difference to their dining experience, the changes are expected to have significant benefits for long-stay patients and residents.

A new supplementary menu will be introduced alongside the two-week cycle, offering additional meal choices, including vegetarian and culturally diverse options. The supplementary menu is designed to reduce repetition and provide greater flexibility for individuals with specific preferences and dietary requirements.

Wendy Nicol, Operations Manager Support Services Food Services, said extensive collaboration has been key to ensuring a smooth transition, “We have worked closely with the Central Production Kitchen on a supplementary menu to provide more variety and choice for long-term patients and residents. The Dietetics team has been involved at every step to ensure we are meeting all dietary needs.”

The menu update also reflects Northern Health’s commitment to meeting the needs of one of Victoria’s most culturally diverse communities. The supplementary menu includes a broader range of vegetarian and culturally diverse meals, including Halal options.

Rachael Evans, Associate Director Dietetics, said, “One in ten patients requests a Halal diet and one in twenty are either vegetarian or vegan.”

The updated menu will continue to support all therapeutic and texture-modified diets, with Dietetics and Food Services teams working together to expand suitable meal options for patients with specific dietary requirements.

The menu changes form part of a broader program of continuous improvement across Northern Health’s food services. Recent and planned initiatives include enhanced salad offerings, improved out-of-hours surgical meals, expanded grocery ordering choices, proposed moulded texture-modified meals and the future development of a dedicated paediatric menu.

According to Rachael, these initiatives have the potential to further improve patient satisfaction and nutritional outcomes.

“Moulded texture-modified meals will improve the physical appearance and acceptability of patients’ meals, and research has shown significantly improved food intake and enjoyment of meals,” she said.

“We are also looking to design meals that will appeal to children, including the development of a range of finger food options, with the intent of increasing patient satisfaction and acceptability.”