This guide provides information and advice for those providing meals for older people who are vegetarians and vegans.

It is particularly aimed at:
• Care homes
• Retirement villages and similar schemes with on-site catering
• Supported accommodation, such as very sheltered housing for frail older people
• Older vegetarians and their relatives and friends

But it may also be useful for:
• Day support and lunch clubs
• Home support – such as domiciliary care and meals on wheels
• The Commission for Social Care Inspection
• Councils who commission social care services for older people
• Hospitals and hospices (although VfL plans to publish a guide for hospitals in the future)

A survey in 2007 by the Food Standards Agency showed that people who are completely vegetarian make up around 2% of the population – which is about 1.5 million – and a further 7% are ‘partly vegetarian’, making around 5.5 million in total.

Furthermore, Food Industry research shows that 45% of the population can be classified as ‘meat-reducers’. So, providers of support to older people will definitely encounter service users who are interested in the vegetarian option.