- About the Food Item Request Form
- Accessing the Ingredient Request Form
- Warning! Do Not Use the Form to Request a Vendor Product
- Filling In the Food Item Request Form
About the Food Item Request Form
If you attempted to locate a food item (i.e., ingredient or prepared food) in the system and a result was not returned, then you can request that the food item be added to the system. The request will be processed by the MealSuite Nutrition Services team.
Accessing the Ingredient Request Form
You can access the request form by clicking here or by opening the Foods Listing screen and clicking the Ingredient Request button (screenshot below).
Warning! Do Not Use the Form to Request a Vendor Product
Do not use the form to add a vendor product. The process to add a vendor product is different depending on your account. For more information and instructions, click here.
Note that a food item (i.e., ingredient or prepared food) in the system is "generic" and not a specific brand product (i.e., vendor product). The system treats food items similar to a cookbook, in which the ingredients are listed as general.
"Behind the scenes" in the system, a food item is associated with one or more actual vendor products that are verified to match with the food item. From the food item's verified vendor products, one is automatically selected to determine the nutrient data and price for the food item (for more information, see Verified Vendor Products and the Selected Product for a Food Item).
Filling In the Food Item Request Form
Your Info
- Account/Facility Name
- User
- Phone (optional)
Food Item Info
- Type - select Ingredient or Prepared Food. Note that the form can also be used to request non-food items; if so, select Non-Food.
- Name - name of the food item
- Preparation Instructions (if Prepared Food is selected as type) - for prepared foods that have package directions, enter the preparation instructions.
Vendor Product Info (to link a vendor product to the food item)
If there is an existing vendor product that you want to link to the food item, then enter the vendor product info listed below. This will save time from having to go through the process to suggest the vendor product be linked to the food item after the food item has been added to the system.
- Unit of Measure
- Pack Size
- Vendor Product Code
- Food Vendor
Nutritional Info
Including nutritional information will help the Nutrition Services team find the closest match in the Nutritional Source database. You can upload an image of the nutritional info by clicking the Choose File button.