Hormel develops low-smell, low-effort food line for cancer patients
Cancer patients need a higher-calorie diet than the average person, but eating poses a special challenge to those in the throes of chemotherapy or radiation.
That’s why Hormel’s Specialty Foods division and a West Palm Beach-based organization called the Cancer Nutrition Consortium have teamed up to create a new line of foods specifically for cancer patients.
The line has been designed with fatigue and nausea in mind. Those are the two factors that prevent patients from getting proper nutrition, a Consortium spokesperson said.
The Austin, Minn.-based food manufacturer and the Consortium tapped chefs, nutritionists and doctors to weigh in on the process.
The result is a line of nutritionally balanced, high-calorie comfort foods like mac ‘n cheese. They’ll be sealed in a vacuum pack that stays on throughout the cooking process to cut down on food odors. Funkier foods like fish will be masked with odors like apple or pumpkin, which patient focus groups found pleasant.
Hormel will produce the meals, which will be available to the public in late 2015. Patients will be able to order online and have the products delivered for free.
Hormel is the multinational manufacturer of meat products and brands like Chi-Chi’s®, Dinty Moore®, and SPAM®.