FAQ: Recipes – MealSuite

The nutrition content of my recipe is too high?
The nutrition content of my recipe is too low?
The cost of my recipe is too high?
The calories are too high or too low for my recipe?
What do the abbreviations mean for recipe names?
What is the difference between the name (i.e., lookup name) and the display name of a recipe?
Editing Recipes
Copying and Moving Recipes
- Can I copy a recipe that is a prepared food?
- Can I move a recipe owned by one account to another account?
Recipe Extensions (i.e., Therapeutic Substitutes)
- I updated the extensions for a recipe, but the extensions are not reflecting on my service reports?
- How do I add a new diet type, texture type, or fluid type to use in my recipe item extensions?
Locating Recipes

The nutrition content of my recipe is too high?

See the following article for possible reasons and solutions: Nutrition Content is Too High.

The nutrition content of my recipe is too low?

See the following article for possible reasons and solutions: Nutrition Content is Too Low.

The cost of my recipe is too high?

See the following articles:

The calories are too high or too low for my recipe?

The total calories for a recipe is the sum of the calories from each ingredient in the recipe (click here for more information). Review the ingredients in the recipe and alter as needed.

What do the abbreviations mean for recipe names?

Depending if you are a US account or a CDN account, the abbreviations you see in recipe names can be different.

For a US account, see the following article for abbreviations in recipe names: Abbreviations and Terms (MealSuite System).

For a CDN account, see the following article for abbreviations in recipe names: Abbreviations and Terms (Synergy System).

What is the difference between the name (i.e., lookup name) and the display name of a recipe?

Name (also known as lookup name or system name) - Unique name of recipe in the system. Should start with a general category and include production info to allow for searching in the system and listing (e.g., “Beef Burger Patty Ckd 2.8 oz”). 40-character limit.
Display Name - User-facing name displayed on menus, reports, Touch app, Portal app, and POS. Does not have to be unique (i.e., other recipes can have the same display name). 30-character limit.

Editing Recipes

How do I edit ingredients in a recipe I do not own (i.e., master recipe)?

If you do not own a recipe, then it is considered a master recipe. If you are a US account, you may have the ability to swap food items for an ingredient in a master recipe (aka, recipe variations). If so, then see the following article: Recipe Variations: Swapping a Similar Food of an Ingredient in a Master Recipe. If you do not have the ability to swap a food for an ingredient in a master recipe, and you are a US account, please reach out to MealSuite Support to request this function.

If you are a CDN account, or a US account that does not have or want the ability to swap food items for an ingredient in a master recipe, then you will have to make a copy of the master recipe for your account, and then edit the ingredients as needed. See Making a Copy of a Master Recipe.

Can I edit a recipe that I do not own (i.e., master recipe)?

If you do not own a recipe, then it is considered a master recipe. For a master recipe there are certain details (but not ingredients) that can be customized for your account without the need to copy the master recipe to your account. When you open a recipe that is a master recipe, the fields that can be customized are identified with a blue border. If a field has a grey border, that field cannot be edited.

See Customizing a Master Recipe for your Account for more information and instructions on customizing a master recipe.

As to editing ingredients in a master recipe, if you are a US account, you may have the ability to swap food items for an ingredient in a master recipe (aka, recipe variations). If so, then see the following article: Recipe Variations: Swapping a Similar Food of an Ingredient in a Master Recipe. If you do not have the ability to swap a food for an ingredient in a master recipe, and you are a US account, please reach out to MealSuite Support to request this function.

How do I adjust the yield of a recipe?

Adjusting the yield of a recipe can only be done on a recipe owned by your account, also known as a "My Recipes" recipe. You cannot adjust the yield on a master recipe (i.e., a recipe owned by your parent account). If wanting to adjust the yield of a master recipe, you have to instead make a copy of that recipe in your account.

To adjust the yield of a recipe owned by your account, see Scaling Recipe by Yield (for a "My Recipe" Only).

Note that when adjusting the yield, the ingredient amounts will also be adjusted, which will affect the cost of the recipe.

Why can't I edit certain fields of a recipe? The fields are greyed out?

This indicates that the recipe is a master recipe. For a master recipe, only certain fields can be customized; see Customizing a Master Recipe for your Account for more information.

You can make a copy of a master recipe for use in your account. Once copied, your facility will own that recipe (i.e., it is a "My Recipe" recipe) and as such you can make changes to all fields (see Editing a Recipe Owned by Your Account (i.e., "My Recipe").

A master recipe calls for an ingredient (e.g., sauce) that we don't use, and instead we want to use a substitution (e.g., powder mix). How do I change that?

Because the food item (sauce vs powder mix) would result in a different nutrient combination, an ingredient variation cannot be utilized. Therefore, you will be required to create your own recipe. To do so, you can make a copy of the master recipe and replace the desired ingredient(s) as needed (see Editing a Recipe Owned by your Account).

Can I add an actual vendor product/branded product as an ingredient to a recipe?

No. You can only add the generic food item the vendor product is linked with in the system and not the actual vendor product.

When searching for a food item to add to recipe, there is the search option Vendor Products. This returns the vendor products, and when you select a product, the system adds the generic food item (i.e., ingredient or prepared food) the product is linked with--not the actual product itself. For example, Bread Naan, as per screenshot below.

Can I change the name of a recipe?

Yes. You can change the display name (i.e., user-facing name) of any recipe in the system, including master recipes (i.e., recipes not owned by your account).

For a recipe owned by your account (i.e., a "My Recipes" recipe), you can change its lookup name (i.e., system name).

See the following article for more information and instructions: Changing the Name of a Recipe.

Can I add/create a new recipe category?

No. Recipe categories are predefined in the system, and at this time there is no ability for an account to add its own recipe categories.

When I modify/change/adjust a recipe, is a history recorded of the changes?

No. A history of changes to a recipe is not recorded/captured.

How can I change a recipe from metric measurements to imperial?

Unfortunately, the only way to convert recipes from metric measurements to imperial at this time is to edit each ingredient individually by defining the quantity and unit of measure. For example changing grams (metric) to ounces (imperial).

If you do not own the recipe (i.e., master recipe), you will first have to make a copy of the recipe for your account. See Making a Copy of a Master Recipe.

Copying and Moving Recipes

Can I copy a recipe that is a prepared food?

No. Prepared foods cannot be copied.

Can I move a recipe owned by one account to another account?

Yes, as a parent account of both accounts, you can change the ownership of a recipe between the accounts. See Changing Recipe Ownership from Child Account to Another Child Account.

Recipe Extensions (i.e., Therapeutic Substitutes)

I updated the extensions for a recipe, but the extensions are not reflecting on my service reports?

This most likely means the recipe existed as a menu item when you made the extension changes to the recipe. When you make extension changes to a recipe, those changes do not automatically flow to its associated menu item (the best practice is to update extensions in a menu item instead of the recipe). Because a service report reads the menu items, the extensions in the report are from the menu items.

The extensions in a recipe can be easily synched to the menu item via a number of options: For more information and instructions, see Synching the extensions from a recipe to its associated menu item?

How do I add a new diet type, texture type, or fluid type to use in my recipe item extensions?

A new diet type, texture type or fluid type can be requested from the MealSuite Nutrition Services team. See the following article: Requesting a New Diet Type, Texture Type or Fluid Type.

Locating Recipes

I cannot find a recipe in the system?

Possible Reason 1: Ensure the filter settings are not precluding the system from displaying the recipe in your search results. For example, ensure that the Food & Non Food Items option is selected, If searching for a therapeutic recipe, ensure the Therapeutic Recipes check box is selected. The different areas in the system where recipes are added are covered in the articles below, which have details on using the filters:

Adding Items to a Menu
Replacing a Menu Item
Adding a Personal Menu Item (for personal menus)
Replacing Item with Specific Substitute (for personal menus)
Adding a Fallback Substitute (for personal menus)

Possible Reason 2: If you cannot find a recipe, it could be that it is unpublished. When a recipe is unpublished, it will be unavailable and unsearchable in the system. You can confirm if a recipe is unpublished via the following instructions: Locating Unpublished Recipes. To publish an unpublished recipe, see Publishing an Unpublished Recipe.

If you confirmed that the recipe is not unpublished and still cannot find the recipe on the Recipes Listing screen, you have the following options:

You can make a copy of an existing recipe and use that copy as a base to modify as needed. See Making a Copy of a Master Recipe or Making a Copy of a "My Recipe" Recipe.
You can create a new recipe from scratch. See Creating a New Recipe.
If the recipe is a prepared food, then you can request that your vendor add the product to your vendor product list. The prepared food will then be searchable via the Recipes Listing screen.

I am a corporate parent account. The recipe that I published is not available to my child accounts?

This most likely means that the My Recipes label is selected for the Recipe Box field for the recipe. This option will prevent the recipe from being available to child accounts.

To have the recipe be available to your child accounts, assign the appropriate Recipe Box label (e.g., Entrees Poultry, Side Vegetables). If the recipe is a therapeutic recipe (e.g., low salt), then select the appropriate therapeutic label (e.g., Dietary Low Salt). Recipe boxes can also be created by system and corporate accounts for their purposes (see Recipe Box Labels for more information).

I cannot find a recipe on the Recipes Listing screen?

If you cannot find a recipe on the Recipes Listing screen, ensure the filter settings are not preventing the recipe from being displayed (e.g., My Recipes Only, Hide Prepared Foods). Ideally, clear all filters so that any recipe is displayed.

If you still cannot find the recipe on the Recipes Listing screen, you have the following options:

You can make a copy of an existing recipe and use that copy as a base to modify as needed. See Making a Copy of a Master Recipe or Making a Copy of a "My Recipe" Recipe.
You can create a new recipe from scratch. See Creating a New Recipe.
If the recipe is a prepared food, then you can request that your vendor add the product to your vendor product list. The prepared food will then be searchable via the Recipes Listing screen.

Can I locate a recipe by a diet type (e.g., Consistent CHO) or texture type (e.g., Puree)?

A recipe itself is not directly associated with a diet type or texture type. However, the following options are available to help identify recipes that can be offered as therapeutic substitutes for a diet type/texture type in a recipe extension grid.

You can search for recipes via a Recipe Box label. A Recipe Box label identifies the recipe (e.g., Entrees Poultry, Entrees Vegetarian, etc.), including a recipe that is a therapeutic substitute for a regular recipe (e.g., Gluten Free, LoCal, Low Salt, etc.) and/or IDDSI-compliant (e.g., SB6, MM5, etc.). For more on Recipe Box labels, click here.
Another option is to apply custom tags to the recipes you want to identify for a particular diet type or texture type (see Applying a Tag to a Recipe for Search and Identification Purposes). You can then search for recipes with those tags via the Tags filter on the Recipes Listings screen.

How do I locate IDDSI-Compliant recipes?

A recipe itself is not directly associated with IDDSI-compliant texture types. However, the following options are available to help identify such recipes so that they be offered as therapeutic substitutes for a diet type/texture type in a recipe extension grid.

You can search for recipes via a Recipe Box label. A Recipe Box label identifies the recipe (e.g., Entrees Poultry, Entrees Vegetarian, etc.), including a recipe that is a therapeutic substitute for a regular recipe (e.g., Gluten Free, LoCal, Low Salt, etc.) and/or IDDSI-compliant (e.g., SB6, MM5, etc.). For more on Recipe Box labels, click here.
Another option is to apply custom tags to the recipes you want to identify for a particular diet type or texture type (see Applying a Tag to a Recipe for Search and Identification Purposes). You can then search for recipes with those tags via the Tags filter on the Recipes Listings screen.