Good food is fundamental to ageing well. It is important for essential nutrition, but is also part of belonging and feeling valued, giving purpose, reflecting cultural identity, socialisation and sensory stimulation.
For more than 12 years, the Maggie Beer Foundation has advocated for the central place of good food for older people whether living at home or in an aged care home.
Working beside aged care leaders, chefs, cooks and kitchen staff, we deliver our Maggie Beer Foundation training programs to uplift food so that it is enjoyed and eaten, supports choice and meets individual nutritional, cultural and health needs. Funding from the Federal Government since 2023 has enabled us to scale nationally the rollout of our unique training programs for aged care cooks, chefs and care teams.
Separately, our HomePlate Project is focused on understanding and addressing the risks for too many older people living in the community who, for a variety of reasons, do not eat well.
In 2026, the Maggie Beer Foundation is a modern, national, not-for-profit organisation, continuing its advocacy for eating well as we age. Beyond our training and project work, the Foundation works every day to promote accredited training for our aged care cooks and chefs, for addressing the risk of malnutrition as we age, for improved standards about food in aged care, and for a better understanding of the place of food in ageing well.