In some cases your older customers' diets may actually be better than those of 19-64 year olds, but still might not meet the recommended daily intake of various nutrients. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey published by Public Health England in September 2016 found the following⁵:

• Only around 35 per cent of men and women aged 65 years and over met the 5-a-day recommendation for fruit and vegetable intake
• Mean consumption of red and processed meat for men aged 65 years and over exceeded the recommended amounts
• Mean intake of vitamin D from food sources only were well below recommended levels in men and women aged 65 years and over – only 3.3μg, which is 33 per cent of the recommended daily intake of 10μg
• Intake of oily fish is around 84g/week in men and women aged 65 years and over, which is well below the recommended amount of 140g/week.

The above findings show the importance of you and your team’s role in educating and supporting your customers to eat a healthy diet, no matter their age. There may be several reasons for their inadequate diet, so take the time to sit down and explore this with them. There may also be a place for recommending vitamins and minerals supplements to bridge any nutritional gaps; for example, a cod liver oil/fish oil supplement rich in vitamin D to top up dietary omega-3 and vitamin D.

Factors that may affect your customer having a healthy balanced diet, that may need to be addressed include⁶: