Involve your attendees in food activities

This section covers three areas:

Should we involve attendees in food activities (e.g. choosing a menu or preparing food)?

What are the benefits?

If involved in food planning, food is more likely to reflect attendees’ tastes, be accepted and eaten, support nutritional wellbeing, and reduce negative feedback and food waste.
If involved in food planning, selection and preparation food is more likely to be accepted and eaten, supporting nutritional wellbeing, and attendees more likely to feel respected and empowered.
If involved in food prep, this can provide a stimulating, meaningful and enjoyable activity, support self-worth through contribution and supports identity for attendees who enjoy cooking.
Involvement in food prep can support various related meaningful, stimulating activities (e.g. gardening or shopping).
If involved in setting up/clearing up attendees are more likely to feel self-worth through contribution, support for their identity and reduced stigma.
Involvement in food activities can stimulate social interaction and connection.

What are the risks?

Planning and delivering of food provision becomes unmanageable, too time consuming or too costly through trying to accommodate all attendees input.
Attendees choices may be for unhealthy options that do harm
Risk of harm from involving attendees in food prep, e.g. using equipment, contact with allergens or failing to observe food hygiene.
Risk of harm from involving attendees in setting up/clearing up, e.g. falls or spillages.
Staff or volunteer stress and burnout due to additional demands and potentially sustained negative feedback.
Such activities not safe to do if short-staffed or volunteer drop-out at short notice.

It can be challenging to get input from attendees on what they prefer but there are various ways to involve attendees in food planning: from directly discussing menu planning, to learning about preferences through interaction and observation, to offering choices on the day.
Understanding attendees preferences is an ongoing process
Involving attendees in food planning must be done realistically, within the limitation of the group’s resources, or it could become unmanageable and undeliverable.
Involving attendees in food preparation or setting up/clearing up can provide affirming, empowering, meaningful and stimulating activity, but needs adequate staff and volunteer time to monitor and guide such activity effectively and safely.
Food preparation requires adequate facilities and equipment (e.g. a safe and well equipped kitchen, accessible/easy to use equipment and separate spaces for people to work in), and trained and experienced staff to lead (e.g. with food hygiene training).
Involvement in food-related activities can stimulate social interaction and connection through things like memory-sharing, collaborative working and peer support.
Some attendees may not want to take part in tasks such as food preparation, as they may not see it as enjoyable or what they attend the group for.

What helps?

Regular, responsive, ongoing consultation with attendees about food through observation and interaction (and choices on the day)
Transparent and collective decision making with attendees
Adjusting seasoning to meet general preferences, with self-serve condiments to support individual taste
Offering nutritionally balanced alternatives (e.g. fruit as well as biscuits)
Adequate space, facilities and (accessible, safe and easy to use) equipment to support attendee involvement in food prep and/or setting up/clearing up
Growing potential ingredients in the setting, if possible
Adequate staff, staff time or staff expertise to oversee attendee involvement in food-related practices
Being mindful to give attendees choice over how much and to what extent they take part in involvement activities
Permitting / enabling attendees to bring own food / snacks even if food and drink provided to support comfort and meet needs

What challenges might we need to think about?

Attendees may not respond to attempts to gather input/feedback or may not be capable of expressing their wants and needs
Too many options may be difficult to navigate for attendees experiencing changes in memory
Feedback may be unhelpfully critical, inconsistent or contradictory
Feedback requests may be unrealistic due to limitations on what group can provide
Attendees involved in food prep may find it challenging to complete necessary tasks safely
Lack of appropriate space, facilities and equipment to involve attendees in food prep
Attendees involved in setting up/clearing up may need close supervision
Some attendees may not want to participate in such involvement activities
Lack of staff, staff time or staff expertise to oversee attendee involvement in food-related practices
Complex and challenging differentiated management of attendee involvement needed due to a widely varied level of attendee needs and capabilities