Adding Items to a Menu

• Adding Items to the Regular Diet Type/Regular Texture Type
  • If Extension Editor is Set to Auto
  • If Extension Editor is Set to Manual
• Serving Item for only a Specific Therapeutic Diet Order (i.e., not as a Regular Item)
• FAQs
  • I cannot find a recipe to add to the menu?
  • I am searching for therapeutic recipes using the Recipe Box field, but results are not being returned. How do I search for therapeutic recipes?
  • Can I add an actual vendor product that is an RTS/RTC to the menu? For example, Yoplait® Strawberry Yogurt cup?
  • I'm searching for a vendor product (to add its associated prepared food item as a menu item), but cannot find it.
  • I added a new menu item, but my therapeutic diets aren't receiving anything (i.e., no therapeutic substitutes are being served).
  • I need to serve an item only on a therapeutic diet order without adding it as a regular item? For example, I want to serve gravy only for my puree.
  • How do I add a canned food to the menu selection?
  • Is there a report or function that tracks a history of menu changes?
  • When a recipe exists in a choice setting (e.g., choice 1), can I add the same recipe to a different choice setting (e.g., choice 2) for the same meal period, day, week, and menu category?
  • I am searching for a prepared food item via its vendor product; a vendor product that is returned in the search results is in red text. What does the red text indicate?
  • Does the system detect if a menu item is changed to a non-compatible item? For example, does it detect if someone replaces baked chicken with a banana?

Adding Item to the Regular Diet Type/Regular Texture Type

1. Open the menu to either the week-at-a-glance (WaaG) view (first screenshot below) or menu day view (second screenshot below).
   
   
   
   
    
2. By default the Diet and Texture fields at the top right are set to Regular. Do not change. If required to add an item to a therapeutic (i.e., non-regular) diet order, see the instructions below: Serving Item for only a Specific Therapeutic Diet Order (i.e., not as a Regular Item)
   
   
    
3. If adding items to a liquid menu, then from the Diet Liquid field at the top right, select the liquid diet type to which you want to add items.
   
   
    
4. Click the Add New Item button at top left corner of screen.
   
   
   
   or

4. If you are in the menu day view, go to the appropriate meal period section (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snack AM, Snack PM, Snack HS, or all day menu), and in the appropriate menu category click the Add New Item link.
   
   
   If you are in the week-at-a-glance view, and an item does not exist for a day/meal service/category combination, scroll over the empty spot and click the Add New Item link.
   
   
    
5. The Add Item slide-out panel appears. 
   
   
    
6. Select the Food & Non-Food Items option and use its filters as needed:
    
   • Food Type - filter by recipe, prepared food, and non-food item.
      
   • Categories - filter by recipe categories (if searching for recipes) and food categories (if searching for prepared foods). Note that if searching for both recipes and prepared foods, recipe categories are listed first in the drop-down, followed by food categories. 
     
     
      
   • Portion Cost Range - enter the cost range of the item (recipe cost, prepared food cost, non-food item cost) you are searching for. Note that this filter applies to items within your selections in the Categories field, the Recipe Box field, or at least three characters entered in the Search field (in step 5 below you are instructed to enter a description of the item in the Search field).
      
   • Tags - filter by tags applied to recipes and prepared foods. 
      
   • Owner - this field lists your account and all parent accounts. Select one or more accounts whose recipes you want to select from. 
      
   • My Recipes Only - searches for only recipes owned by your account (recipes owned by your account have the My Recipes label in the Recipe Box; see What is a "My Recipes" Recipe? for more information). Note that selecting the My Recipes Only checkbox also automatically selects your account, and only your account, in the Owner field.
      
   • Therapeutic Recipes - therapeutic substitute recipes (e.g., Gluten Free, LoCal, Low Salt, etc.) and/or IDDSI-compliant (e.g., SB6, MM5, etc.) identified as such in the system (via the recipe's Recipe Box label) will be returned in your search results. Without the Therapeutic Recipes check box selected, such substitute recipes will not be returned in the search results. The reason for this is that therapeutic substitute recipes are typically added to a regular item's therapeutic extension grid, and as such are not typically added directly to a menu.  
      
   • Recipe Box (available only if Recipe is selected from Food Type) - returns recipes assigned to a recipe box label. More than one recipe box label can be selected. 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.). 
     
     Note that if selecting a recipe box label for a therapeutic substitute recipe and/or IDDSI-compliant recipe, then the Therapeutic Recipes check box also needs to be selected. The reason for this is that therapeutic substitute recipes are typically added to a regular item's therapeutic extension grid, and as such are not typically added directly to a menu.  
     
     
      
7. As another search option, the Vendor Products option is a means to select a prepared food associated with a vendor product. From the vendor products that are returned from the search results, you then select one, which in turns adds the prepared food item the vendor product is linked with (i.e., vendor product is verified for the prepared food item). In other words, the prepared food item the vendor product is linked with is added, and not the vendor product itself. For more information, click here. 
    
8. In the Search field, enter the description or ID of the item or product you are searching for and click Go. The search results are returned (maximum 100). Note that if you do not find the search results suitable, then change the above settings as needed, and rerun the search. Also note that when entering the description, you can enter either the lookup name (i.e., system name) or display name of the recipe. 
   
   
    
9. By clicking the eye icon () of an item, the Item Preview window appears with the following tabs:
   • Details - displays the recipe details.
     
     
      
   • Nutrient Value - displays the nutrient values. 
     
     
      
10. For an item you want to add, click its + icon. You can repeat the above steps to add other items. Each time an item is added, the Menu Items to Add section refreshes with a sub-section of the added menu item.
    
    
     
11. For each added menu item, complete the fields below. Each field can contain more than one selection. Note that depending how you opened the Add Item slide-out panel, certain fields will be pre-populated.
    • Portion Size - contains the original portion size of the item; you can change this if needed.
    • Choice - select the choices to assign the item (for more information on using choices, see Choices for a Menu Item)
    • Menu Category - select the menu categories to assign the item. Note that the menu categories available for selection depend on the meal periods selected in the Meal field.
    • Week (only applicable for a weekly menu)
    • Day (only applicable for a weekly menu)
    • Meal (only applicable for a weekly menu) - select the meal services (breakfast, lunch, dinner) you want to add the item to.
       
12. For a weekly menu, you can add multiple occurrences of when the menu item is served for week, day, and meal service. To do so, click the Add Occurrence link and the screen refreshes with the Week, Day, and Meal fields for you to select the occurrence. 
    
    
     
13. Click the Save button at the top right of the slide-out panel to add the item(s).
    
    
     
14. Depending on the Extension Editor setting in menu properties, refer to the appropriate sub-section below for next steps:
    • If Extension Editor is Set to Auto
    • If Extension Editor is Set to Manual

If Extension Editor is Set to Auto 

If the menu is an extended menu and the Extension Editor setting in the display options is set to Auto, the extension grid for the menu item automatically appears (screenshot below) for you to review or modify the extensions as needed (see Working in a Menu Item Extension Grid for more information).

(Right-click to open and expand in new tab)

When you click Save to apply your changes to the extension grid, you have the following options: 

• Save extensions for this meal only - saves the extensions to the one menu item occurrence from which the extension grid was opened, meaning the meal period, day, week, menu category, and choice.
• Save for all occurrences on this menu - if there is more than one occurrence of the menu item on the menu, then the Save for all occurrences on this menu option is available. Selecting this option saves the extensions for each occurrence of the menu item. If the menu item is added to another occurrence in the future, then the existing extensions will also be applied.
• Save on menu & recipe - updates the original recipe extension grid with the content of the menu item extension grid, and saves the extensions across all occurrences of the menu item in the menu you are editing. 

After saving via one of the above options, the menu item is added to the menu. 

If Extension Editor is Set to Manual

If the menu is an extended menu and the Extension Editor setting setting in the the display options is set to Manual, then the menu item extension grid will not automatically appear and the menu item is added to the menu. It is expected at a later time that you will open the extension grid for the menu item and set the extensions if needed. 

Serving Item for only a Specific Therapeutic Diet Order (i.e., not as a Regular Item)

The above instructions explain how to add an item to a regular diet type/regular texture type.

However, in certain scenarios you may want to serve an item for only a specific therapeutic diet order without serving it as a regular item on the menu. For example, assume you want to serve Gravy for only the puree texture (to accompany the substitute Mashed Potatoes served for puree instead of the regular item of French Fries), but not serve Gravy as a regular menu item. 

The means to do so is explained below and involves working in the menu item extension grid (therefore see Working in a Menu Item Extension Grid):

1. Add the item (e.g., gravy) to the regular diet/regular texture type for the desired week, day, and meal period (as per above steps). 
    
2. Open the extension grid for the item. 
    
3. For the diet type/texture type combinations you do not want the item to be served, set as Do Not Serve. This includes the regular diet/regular texture type. 
   
   
    
4. For the diet type/texture type combination you want to serve the item (e.g., puree texture for some or all diet types), set to Serve Regular Recipe.
   
   
    
5. Save the extension grid as needed via the following options:
   • Save extensions for this meal only - saves the extensions to the one menu item occurrence from which the extension grid was opened, meaning the meal period, day, week, menu category, and choice.
   • Save for all occurrences on this menu - if there is more than one occurrence of the menu item on the menu, then the Save for all occurrences on this menu option is available. Selecting this option saves the extensions for each occurrence of the menu item. If the menu item is added to another occurrence in the future, then the existing extensions will also be applied.

FAQs

I cannot find a recipe to add to the menu?

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.

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 searching for therapeutic recipes using the Recipe Box field, but results are not being returned. How do I search for therapeutic recipes?

Recipes with therapeutic and/or IDDSI-compliant Recipe Box labels will only be returned in the search results if the Therapeutic Recipes check box is selected. The reason is that recipes assigned with therapeutic labels are typically therapeutic substitutes that are added to a regular recipe's diet order extension grid, and as such are not typically added directly to the menu. 

Can I add an actual vendor product that is an RTS/RTC to the menu? For example, Yoplait® Strawberry Yogurt cup? 

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

When searching for an item to add to the menu, there is the search option Vendor Products. This returns the vendor products, and when you select a product, the system adds the generic prepared food item the product is linked with--not the actual product itself. For example, Yogurt Greek Banana PC., as per screenshot below. 

I'm searching for a vendor product (to add its associated prepared food item as a menu item), but cannot find it.

Check your vendor product list to confirm if the vendor product is available. See Searching for a Specific Vendor Product. If you confirm that the vendor product is not on your list, see What If a Vendor Product is not on a Vendor Product List? If you confirm the vendor product is on your list, then contact MealSuite Support. 

It could be that the vendor product does exist in your account, but is not linked with a food item, and as such that vendor product will not be returned in the search results. For more information and instructions on getting a vendor product linked with a food item in the system, see Facility Account: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product or Corporate Account: Suggesting a Food Item be Linked to a Vendor Product.

I added a new menu item, but my therapeutic diets aren't receiving anything (i.e., no therapeutic substitutes are being served).

This indicates that the menu item is not extended with the therapeutic substitutions. You will need to open the extension grid of the menu item, and add the therapeutic substitutes to the diet orders. 

I need to serve an item only on a therapeutic diet order without adding it as a regular item? For example, I want to serve gravy only for my puree.

See the above section: Serving Item for only a Specific Therapeutic Diet Order (i.e., not as a Regular Item).

How do I add a canned food to the menu selection?

If the canned food is identified as a prepared food in the system, then the canned food can be added directly to the menu. You can confirm this by selecting Prepared Food as the Food type when searching for an item to add to the menu. If the canned food is returned in the search results, it means it is a prepared food and can be added directly to the menu. 



If the canned food is not returned in the search, then this indicates that it is identified as an ingredient in the system. As such, you will need to create a new recipe and add that canned food as the one-and-only ingredient in the recipe. Once the recipe is created, you can then add it to the menu, ensuring to select Recipe as the Food type when searching for the recipe.  

Is there a report or function that tracks a history of menu changes?

No. At this time, there is no report or function that tracks a history of menu changes. There is, however, a report that does track when temporary replacement items were made. See Temporary Replacements Report (Menus).

When a recipe exists in a choice setting (e.g., choice 1), can I add the same recipe to a different choice setting (e.g., choice 2) for the same meal period, day, week, and menu category?

No. You cannot duplicate the a recipe in a different choice when that recipe already exists for the same meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) in the same day, week and menu category. 

I am searching for a prepared food item via its vendor product; a vendor product that is returned in the search results is in red text. What does the red text indicate? 

If a vendor product is in red text in the search results, this indicates that the vendor product is either a special order vendor product or out-of-stock. 

Does the system detect if a menu item is changed to a non-compatible item? For example, does it detect if someone replaces baked chicken with a banana?

Yes, via recommended diet restrictions, the system can detect if an item is not compatible with a diet type. See Configuring Recommended Diet Restrictions for a Diet Type