An analysis of federal nursing home cost reports, conducted by journalists in New Jersey, Michigan, Alabama, and Oregon, Rutgers University, and data experts, finds serious problems in food service at nursing facilities nationwide. Ted Sherman, “The Hunger Games: Many nursing homes feed residents on less than $10 a day: ‘That’s appallingly low.’” NJ.com (Apr. 30, 2025). Specifically, they found:
- More than a quarter of all nursing homes spent less than $10 a day to feed each resident.
- Between 2021 through 2024, surveyors nearly tripled the number of food deficiencies they cited (3,391 citations cited in 2021; 9,484 citations in 2024)
- inspection reports cite “rancid meat, spoiled vegetables, moldy fruit and meals, at times prepared in filthy conditions;” an Oregon inspection report found that residents were served “a single ravioli” for dinner)
- Complaints about food made to ombudsman offices increased more than 50% from 5,620 in 2020 to 8,485 in 2023
- Data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates increasing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in nursing homes
- In 2022, there were 1,127 outbreaks in nursing homes across the country, making 26,268 people sick; 555 people required hospitalization and 55 died
- In 2021, there were 568 foodborne outbreaks, making 11,909 people sick; 225 people were hospitalized and 29 died
Between 30% and 85% of residents suffer from malnutrition and dehydration, according to a review by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
Federal rules do not set spending requirements for food, addressing only food preparation and nutrition. The result is that food service is an area (like staffing) where facilities believe they can cut spending.
May 1, 2025 – T. Edelman