In this guest post, Maggie Beer Foundation CEO Jane Mussared presents the program’s year two results and addresses recent commentary questioning both the initiative’s impact and the government funding that supports it.
The Maggie Beer Foundation has reported strong Year Two results for its Improving Food in Aged Care Program, with an independent evaluation confirming measurable gains in food quality, nutrition, staff capability and resident wellbeing. Released amid public scrutiny, the findings provide clear evidence of a program delivering meaningful, sector-wide improvement.
Last week, the Maggie Beer Foundation released the Year Two Evaluation Report of its Improving Food in Aged Care through Education and Training Program. The evaluation by HealthConsult shows that the program is supporting improvements in food quality, nutrition, staff capability, and resident wellbeing, while building lasting skills, confidence, and pride among cooks, chefs, and kitchen staff.
In recent weeks, there has been commentary questioning the Foundation’s delivery, value for money and whether this was merely “a celebrity fix” for a complex issue. The Foundation recognises scrutiny is fair and necessary — especially when public funding is involved. We welcome HealthConsult’s evaluation as an opportunity to test assumptions with transparency and evidence.
The findings speak for themselves.
HealthConsult’s evaluation, covering the period from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025, reported strong, measurable outcomes across a diverse sector that was challenged by staff turnover, limited recognition, and digital readiness.
- 92% of participants improved their ability to prepare nutritious, flavourful food.
- 91% applied new skills in their kitchens.
- 89% felt more confident overcoming barriers to change.
The Foundation received $6.7 million in federal government funding to develop and deliver this national training initiative, established in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care, which identified food and nutrition as “an urgent priority requiring immediate attention.” This program goes beyond training — it combines structured hands-on mentoring, scalable online learning, resource development and professional networking to create sustainable change across aged care kitchens.
Every dollar is audited, evaluated and reported to the Department of Health, Aged Care and Disability
Built on a “learning by doing” model, the program includes four interconnected components designed to meet aged care homes where they are, whether they need hands-on support, flexible online learning or peer connection. The model enables the Foundation to take a “continuous improvement” approach — refining participant selection, delivery methods and digital resources in response to feedback — a responsiveness noted by evaluators as a key strength.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, participation and demand were strong across all areas:
- Trainer Mentor Program (TMP): 12 months of in-home mentoring with Chef Trainers focused on cooking, nutrition, workflow and the dining experience.
- 135 aged care homes have been accepted, supporting more than 2,000 kitchen staff. Ten homes graduated this year, with demand far exceeding capacity — 96 homes applied for just 15 places.
- One-third of homes supported were outside metropolitan areas, demonstrating the program’s reach into regional and remote communities.
- Hubs: Short, intensive online courses extending reach and shared understanding across providers.
- 165 participants attended 14 Hub sessions, strengthening leadership and collaboration.
- Online Learning Modules (OLMs): 20-40 minute modules, offering flexible training for cooks, carers, lifestyle staff and managers.
- Over 3,100 completions of five new modules (excluding the existing 11).
- Professional Community: A growing online network with a new recipe library.
- 2,800 new users accessed resources and recipes, with 300 aged care–specific recipes in development.
Current government funding concludes in 2026, meaning the latest intake into the Trainer Mentor Program will be the final cohort for now, despite significant unmet demand. We are seeking a new grant to reach more homes through the Trainer Mentor Program. This onsite mentoring approach will continue to be complemented by online learning modules, the Professional Community, our Learning Hubs and recipes, tools and resources — making it scalable and adaptable to homes of all sizes and locations. A final evaluation next year will capture outcomes from all 135 homes and participants across other training streams, and the findings from this, too, will help us improve the model.
The Foundation has been doing this work for 11 years. We’re proud to work under Maggie Beer’s name, acknowledging her voluntary contribution as founder, board member, donor and passionate cook who continues to champion flavour, variety and nutrition. But we are more than our namesake. The Foundation is a national not-for-profit team of 22, including 14 qualified chefs, who work with aged care teams all over Australia every day.
We believe in our mission. Achieving great food every day and for every person living in an aged care home is complex, and there is no silver bullet. The work between the Foundation and aged care providers is one part of the solution – alongside funding, workforce, allied health engagement and regulation.
