On Sunday 10 June, the Ageing and Dementia Research Centre’s Joanne Holmes (RNutr) presented at Open Farm Sunday at Littlewood Farm, Frampton to highlight the role of dairy products to fortify foods for malnourished adults in the UK.  Open Farm Sunday, one of the biggest events in the farming calendar, is a free national event managed by Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) with numerous sponsors including Arla, Sainsburys, Co-op and Tescos.
This annual event is an opportunity to show how food is produced, the products it goes into as well as what farmers do to manage the environment and enhance the countryside. Over ¼ million people take the chance to visit over 350 farms, on the second weekend in June every year and have done so since 2006.
Over 200 people visited Littlewood Farm, and were given the opportunity to try a range of Arla dairy products whilst learning about their health benefits and ask questions. Dairy products provide an easily digested form of calcium for bone health, useful protein for body tissues, and muscle development – all important ingredients to fortify foods to help manage malnutrition in older adults.
A range of material from the dairy council and Wessex AHSN Older Peoples Essential Nutrition (OPEN) programme were distributed to members of the public.