Meal System for the Elderly: Conventional Food in Novel Form, PRP 16

This document is the product of a cooperative venture involving several public agencies. It started when Anne Kohler, Director of the Texas Governor's Committee on Aging Research Utilization Program (now a part of the Texas Department of Public Welfare) made a request of NASA: could the space agency help to improve nutritional services for the elderly, particularly those in areas not reached by meals-on-wheels programs? As it turned out, NASA's experience in developing a shelf-stable, nutritious, easily transportable meals system for its manned space programs provided the foundation for design and development of a meals system intended to meet the special needs of the elderly. A joint project was launched to develop the system, conduct technical and user taste tests, develop new delivery systems, conduct field tests, undertake medical assessments, and evaluate the results of these various activities.