Standard 6 Food and Nutrition: One Year On

Standard 6 food and nutrition turned one on 1 November 2026, and residents still rate food as the weakest part of life in a care home. In the 2025 Residents' Experience Survey, 69% of residents said they liked the food, while 89% said they would recommend their home. This guide sets out what Standard 6 asks of residential providers, what the survey shows and the evidence a quality lead can put in front of a board. It follows a Hello Leaders article by chef and aged care hospitality specialist Lindsey O'Grady, published on 5 November 2026, which marked the anniversary and asked what the sector has done with years of resident feedback.

Key Takeaways

Standard 6 applies to residential care homes and has four outcomes: partnering with residents on food and drinks, assessing nutritional needs and preferences, providing food and drinks, and the dining experience.
In the 2025 Residents' Experience Survey, 69% of residents liked the food, against 70% in 2023 and 2024, and food was the lowest-rated fixed-response question.
Only 27% of residents said they always like the food in 2025, the same share as in 2022.
Food and dining was the most common improvement theme in residents' free-text answers, appearing in 39.5% of responses about what they would change.
The Commission and the Department run a free Menu and Mealtime Review Program with up to 300 places in 2026-27, and homes with low food scores are prioritised.

What does Standard 6 require of residential providers?

The Commission's Standard 6 guidance states the expectation for residents plainly: plenty of food and drinks they enjoy, nutritious, appetising and safe, matching their needs and preferences, with an enjoyable dining experience that includes variety and supports a sense of belonging. The standard applies only to residential care homes. It has four outcomes:

Outcome 6.1: partnering with individuals on food and drinks
Outcome 6.2: assessment of nutritional needs and preferences
Outcome 6.3: provision of food and drinks, including texture modified diets, food safety, and menu and mealtime assessment
Outcome 6.4: dining experience, including social engagement and culturally safe care

The provider fact sheet adds clarified expectations. Texture modified foods should be ones that older people have agreed to eat, dining should be improved to encourage social engagement, and menus and mealtimes should be assessed regularly. It is not only a kitchen standard. The Commission says providers must draw on Standard 3 so food services rest on sound assessment and planning, and monitoring for malnutrition and dehydration sits under Standard 5.

What do the Residents' Experience Survey results show about food?

The Department's Residents' Experience Survey findings cover 44,318 surveys from 2,589 homes in 2025. Overall satisfaction is at its highest since 2022, with 89% saying they would recommend their home, up from 85% in 2023. Food is the exception. It was the lowest-rated fixed-response question, and the Department's 2023-2025 report says it is the only quality and safety measure that did not improve over the reporting period.

2022 - Always: 27%; Most of the time: 43%; Some of the time: 26%; Never: 5%
2023 - Always: 26%; Most of the time: 44%; Some of the time: 26%; Never: 4%
2024 - Always: 29%; Most of the time: 41%; Some of the time: 25%; Never: 6%
2025 - Always: 27%; Most of the time: 42%; Some of the time: 26%; Never: 5%

The question is "Do you like the food here?" and the table shows the share of residents giving each answer. A resident who likes the food only some of the time faces several meals a day that fall short. The same report notes that, since 2023, culturally and linguistically diverse residents reported more positively on every question except whether they like the food.

Free-text answers point the same way. Food and dining was the most common theme in answers about what residents would change, appearing in 39.5% of them, ahead of staffing levels and training at 32.7%. The survey contributes to a home's Star Rating, and the Department says it makes up one-third of the Overall Star Rating, which is why food scores now reach families and referrers through the My Aged Care survey summary and the Find a Provider tool.

Why does food lag when overall satisfaction rises?

The Department's report says food showed the greatest variation across home sizes, locations and provider types. That points to differences in how individual homes run dining rather than one sector-wide cause. Lindsey O'Grady argues that kitchen and care teams need clearer ownership of the dining journey, proper site coverage and a handover system that survives a change of staff. O'Grady also points to cost pressure, citing StewartBrown's FY26 survey, in which 65% of residential operators recorded an operating loss and the average result was a deficit of $12.98 per bed day.

Cost pressure is real, but it does not change the standard. A provider can still show how it asks residents what they like, checks that texture modified meals are ones residents will eat and reviews the menu on a schedule. Governa's article on aged care meal funding looks at the spending side of the same question.

What should a board see about food and dining?

O'Grady asks boards to see the full resident response rather than one blended percentage, and to see food satisfaction beside food spend, kitchen leadership stability beside agency costs, and meal rework beside complaints and corrective actions. My Aged Care also says homes must report on food and nutrition spending and residents' unplanned weight loss. A practical board pack could carry:

the four-way split of resident answers, by home, not only the combined figure
food spend per resident per day beside the satisfaction result
unplanned weight loss and malnutrition and dehydration flags
food-related complaints, how long they took to close and what changed
checks on texture modified diets before meals are served

The governing body responsibilities guide explains what the board owns under the Quality Standards, and the star ratings management policy template shows how to track the survey result inside your own governance.

How can a home use the free Menu and Mealtime Review Program?

The Commission and the Department run a free Menu and Mealtime Review Program for approved residential care homes, with up to 300 places in 2026-27. An Accredited Practising Dietitian visits, meets management, evaluates the menu, assesses the dining environment and mealtime experience, reviews documents such as policies and feedback registers, and provides a written report. Places are prioritised for homes that score lower than 3 out of 4 on the survey question "Do you like the food here?", along with other groups such as smaller homes and rural and remote services. Check the program page for the current closing date, since the Commission has published more than one.

Five practical moves for the next quarter

Ask residents what they want on the menu and record who asked, when and what changed. The feedback and complaints policy gives a route for food feedback.
Reassess the menu and mealtimes on a set schedule, using the guidance in Governa's nutrition and mealtime policy guide.
Check texture modified meals look and taste appealing, since the Commission's guidance suggests moulds, piping or scoops to present them. The texture modified diet check covers the pre-service safety step.
Document choices that carry a known risk. The glossary entry on eating and drinking with acknowledged risk explains the term the Commission uses.
Make dining handover survive staff change, with named owners across kitchen and care teams. The article on experience design in aged care dining shows how a planned dining event can lift a routine meal.

Related Resources

Common Questions About Standard 6 Food and Nutrition

1. Does Standard 6 apply to home care?

No. The Commission says Standard 6 applies only to residential care homes. Home care providers still manage eating and swallowing risks through other standards and their own policies. Governa's article on dysphagia and mealtime safety during home care visits covers that setting.

2. What did the 2025 survey say about food?

It said 69% of residents liked the food, similar to 70% in 2023 and 2024. Only 27% always liked it, and food and dining was the most common theme in free-text answers about what residents would change.

3. How does the survey affect a Star Rating?

The Department says the Residents' Experience Survey makes up one-third of a home's Overall Star Rating. The results are also visible to families through the Find a Provider tool.

4. Who can I ask for help with food, nutrition and dining?

The Commission lists a Food, Nutrition and Dining Hotline on 1800 844 044. The Menu and Mealtime Review Program is also open to approved residential care homes through an expression of interest.

5. What does eating and drinking with acknowledged risk mean?

It describes a resident choosing food or drink that has been identified as a risk to them, such as certain textures or ingredients. Providers should document how the choice was discussed and how the risk will be monitored.

Measure the Meal, Not Just the Menu

One year in, Standard 6 has not moved the resident score for food, and the data points to differences in how each home runs dining. Bring the four-way resident response, the weight-loss figures and the complaint trends to your next board meeting. Then pick one measure to improve this quarter, and apply for a Menu and Mealtime Review if your food score is low.

Standard 6 Food and Nutrition One Year On: Why Residents Still Rate the Food Lowest