We research to ensure safe and high-quality food for the elderly.
Introduction of 「Korea Elderly-friendly Food R&D Center」
ㆍName of R&D Center: Korean Elderly-friendly Food R&D Center affiliated to Welfare-Union Co., Ltd.
ㆍDate of report: April 1, 2019 (First recognition date: August 9, 2017)
ㆍAccrediting Institution: KOREA INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIAION
ㆍAccreditation No.: No. 2017113841
ㆍHead of R&D Center: Dr. KIM Yeon-Jeong (Ph.D. majoring in Feeding and Swallowing Food and Nutrition of Japan Women’s University)
기업부설연구소 인정서
Research projects
We have succeeded in developing more advanced technology, starting with the development of a dish as swallowing aid for the first time in Korea, to provide safe meals to the elderly with impaired chewing and swallowing function. We are researching and developing various elderly-friendly food products through scientific step-by-step measurement of physical properties and viscosity of food and data analysis.
Measurement of physical properties
(Measuring hardness/cohesiveness/adhesion of dish as swallowing aid)
Appearance of viscosity measurement
(measuring moisture viscosity with viscosity-adjusted food)
In particular, we are concentrating on research and development of food products (mousse meals) without change of their appearance by reshaping food products that are difficult to chew.
Bibimbap as swallowing aid
(with physical property easy to chew with gums or tongue)
Meal set with seasoned vegetables as swallowing aid
(with physical property easy to chew with gums or tongue)
Focusing on the nutrition business team in Korea's Elderly-Friendly Food R&D Center, we provide diet care services through nutrition screening and disease customization such as New Year's Day for the community care of senior citizens in Korea. Based on infrastructure and know-how, we are implementing community dietary care services such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Nutrition Meal Replacement Support Project for Elderly Chronic Diseases, free meals in Gwangjin-gu, and meal support service at the Seoul Autonomous Region Care SOS Center.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of providing community care services, big data using a web-based nutrition screening system is collected and analyzed, and based on this, nutrition management and meals suitable for individual consumers are planned and performed.
We provide meal care education to senior welfare facility officials and workers based on their understanding of nutrition management methods and dysphagia considering the life cycle characteristics of the elderly. In addition, we have opened a private qualification certificate (senior food coordinator, care food coordinator, and young-old food specialists) to train experts for practical elderly dietary management.
| Name of course | Training subject |
|---|---|
| Senior Food Coordinator Certification Course | Senior meal service workers Workers in the senior meal/nutrition service industry |
| No. | Project name | Name of Task | Support institute |
|---|---|---|---|
| R&D project | Future Innovation Food Technology Development Project | Development of functionality meal replacement containing kimchi lactobacillus to solve low nutrition and improve immunity in the elderly with diet vulnerability | Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (IPET) |
| Life Care Convergence Service Development Project | Presenting a community care meal benefit service model based on a nutrition care platform using ICT tool | Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) | |
| Sunchang Health Longevity Food Cluster Project | Development of Elderly-Friendly Food Products to improve immunity using Sunchang agricultural and specialty products | Sunchang Health Longevity R&D Center | |
| Survey on animal-based food consumption patterns for the elderly in preparation for the aging of the population structure | National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) | ||
| (Company-customized) special support project for KU LINC+ 2020 All-Set | Development of Korean mousse meals for the elderly patients who have eating and swallowing disorders by using a Japanese frozen mousse gelling agent | Konkuk University LINC+ Project Team | |
| (Company-customized) special support project for KU LINC+ 2021 All-Set | Study on the advancement of the product that preserves physical properties that can help for patients with eating/swallowing disorders after retort processing of porridge for swallowing | Konkuk University LINC+ Project Team | |
| National project | Simple Nutrition Food Support Project for Elderly With Chronic Diseases | Dietary service for elderly with chronic illness and nutrition training and counseling services based on dietary needs | Seoul Metropolitan City Citizen's Health Bureau (Health and Medical Policy Division) |