Research
Research Priorities
In 2023, the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation created a Research Priorities Task Force to develop and adopt new research priorities using the new vision and mission statements.
The task force prioritized these top five research questions:
Click the button below for a list of additional research questions considered by the task force for future study.
Studies & Webinars
NFEF partnered with Technomic, one of the nation's leading food research firms, on a project that yielded data-drive evidence about the emerging trends in the dining habits and preferences of long-term care residents.
Key findings on current and future resident satisfaction and trends in foodservice in long-term care.
Innovations and emerging trends in Long Term Care facilities.
Promote and highlight foodservice innovation among operators.
Read the Nutrition & Foodservice Education Foundation’s Understanding Healthcare Foodservice – An Updated Evaluation of the Hospital, Long-Term Care, and Senior Living Segments article that was featured in the September – October 2018 Nutrition & Foodservice EDGE magazine. The Technomic study includes information on the healthcare foodservice market, critical issues facing healthcare food service, operational dynamics, menus, and supplier support.
The Foundation conducted two research studies in 2018: Understanding Healthcare Foodservice, in partnership with Technomic, and a proprietary study assessing the impact of CDM CFPPs. The results of our research studies were featured in short 2-minute Industry Insights videos and featured in two 1-hour webinars.
Webinars
These webinars review specifics about the skilled nursing and acute care segments of the 2018 Technomic Study and changes that have taken place since 2010, current concerns, and new and upcoming trends.
Understanding Healthcare Foodservice: Skilled Care
Understanding Healthcare Foodservice: Acute Care
Industry Insights Videos
Current and Future Initiatives - Total & By Segment
Specialized Diets - Prevalence and Common Trends
Hospital Feature: Segment Characteristics & Critical Issues
How Foodservice Operations Measure Success
Non-Commercial Foodservice Purchasing
Facility Employees - Current Statistics, Future Predictions, Efficiency Expectations
Long-Term Care: Segment Characteristics and Critical Issues
Historic and Future Expectations: Budget Change by Facility Type
Skilled Nursing and Acute Care Online Research Resources
You can visit Medicare.gov and use their tool to find and compare different types of Medicare providers (like physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, and others). Use maps and filters on this site to help you identify providers that are right for you.
You can visit ProPublica.org to search over 90,000 nursing home inspection reports to look for trends or patterns, evaluate nursing homes near you, and compare nursing homes by state.