IDDSI, International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative, has a mission to “facilitate the safe consumption and enjoyment of food and drink by all persons with eating and drinking difficulties (dysphagia).”  It is a not-for-profit Standards Organization that has developed a standard that can be used to describe the characteristics of foods and drinks from the point of view of a person with swallowing difficulties.

This initiative has gained global support from a wide range of professionals that aid in treating eating, drinking, and swallowing issues including Speech-Language Pathologists, Dieticians and Nutritionists.

Changes

• If you or a loved one has experienced dysphagia, you may have noticed that terms have changed over the last 6 years when referring to the viscosity (thickness) of liquids. Nectar and honey thickened liquids have been replaced with mildly and moderately thick.
• Terms surrounding textures of food have also been refined to include terms such as minced and moist, soft and bite sized and easy to chew.

These terms are globally accepted and the IDDSI website offers a wealth of information on details of what levels/terminology mean for a person’s texture and liquid consumption.

Please visit their website for more information regarding details of the IDDSI levels and links to various sites that offer techniques for preparing food and drinks appropriate to each level.