SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary
requirements
Learner Guide
SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 2
Contents
1: Special dietary requirements 5
3: Menu costing 15
4: Testing and finalising the menu 16
SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 3

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 4

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 5
1: Special dietary requirements
In your role as a chef, you will regularly be called upon to either develop menus that specifically cater
to the dietary needs of your clients or to adjust standard recipes to cater for special dietary
requirements.
There are a number of groups that may have special dietary requirements including:
• adolescents
• athletes
• children
• defence forces
• the elderly
• people in health care settings
• infants
• international tourists
• people who have specific nutritional and energy requirements due to their physical condition
• people in areas affected by disaster or environmental extremes
• people from different socioeconomic groups
• people in remote areas
• those with weight problems (underweight, overweight or obese)
• people from various cultural and religious groups.
Types of special dietary requirements
There are a number of different types of dietary requirements including:
• food allergies
• food intolerances
• contraindications with medicines
• meeting nutritional needs
• cultural and religious dietary sanctions
• contemporary eating regimes.

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
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Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 6

Basic principles and practices of nutrition
Commonly, a chef who is developing a special menu will need to consider the nutritional needs of a
group of customers. This may be in a health or aged care setting, or they may be cooking for infants
or children, a group of people in a remote area or even for a group of people affected by a natural
disaster. There are some basic nutritional principles that are important to understand.

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 7
Australian Dietary Guidelines
In Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council publish a set of guidelines for
choosing foods that meet the nutritional needs, promote the health and wellbeing and reduce the risk
of chronic disease of children, adolescents, adults and older Australians.
These guidelines are evidence based and rely on advice from medical and nutrition experts. There
are five guidelines that are underpinned by practice notes. A brief summary of each guideline is
provided below.
• Guideline 1: Achieve and maintain a healthy weight by being physically active and choosing
amounts of nutritious food and drink to meet your energy needs.
• Guideline 2: Select a wide variety of nutritious foods from each of the five food groups every day
(fruit, vegetables, grains, lean meat/poultry/fish/eggs/tofu/nuts and seeds/legumes and beans,
milk/yoghurt/cheese) and drink plenty of water.
• Guideline 3: Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol.
• Guideline 4: Encourage, support and promote breastfeeding.
• Guideline 5: Care for your food by preparing and storing it safely.
These guidelines are particularly important when developing cyclical-style menus.

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Cooking and storage on nutrients
While cooking is necessary for some foods from a food safety perspective, there are some cooking
processes that do reduce some of the nutrients in food. For example, boiling vegetables for a long
period of time is more detrimental to their nutrient content than a quick stir fry or steam.
Understanding food labelling
Australia has strict food labelling requirements, especially in relation to food allergies and
intolerances. As a minimum, any trace of one of the foods most likely to cause allergies (peanuts, tree
nuts, milk, eggs, sesame seeds, fish and shellfish, soy, lupin and wheat) must be noted on the food
label.

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What influences our food and beverage choices?
There are many factors that influence our food and beverage choices and they can be different for all
of us. They can also be different depending on what else is happening in our lives at the time. Some
common factors that influence choice include:
• availability: if we’re hungry, we will eat what is easy to get or what’s in the cupboard
• taste: we might be craving a certain flavour or texture
• emotion: some of us make decisions on what we eat depending on how we feel.
Other factors include nutritional value, dietary requirements, price and so on.

Food additives and preservatives
Food additives and preservatives are used to retain the quality of food and to keep it fresh for longer.
In some cases additives can also help to prevent food poisoning. However, not all additives and
preservatives are good for you and some people are more sensitive to them than others. There can
also be a cumulative effect – while smaller amounts of additives are fine for most people, there are
some who need to avoid additives and others who try to cut down on their consumption as much as
they can.

Commonly used substitute ingredients

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
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The menu planning process
Regardless of whether you are planning a general menu for your organisation that includes dishes
that meet special dietary requirements or you are planning an entire menu to meet a specific dietary
requirement, the menu planning process usually includes the following elements:
• understanding the service style and cuisine of the establishment
• understanding your customers and their needs (including food preferences, dietary requirements,
nutritional needs, macro and micro nutrient needs and so on)
• checking on availability of equipment and expertise of staff, and availability and cost of
ingredients
• drafting a menu with input and feedback from others
• costing the menu
• finalising the menu and writing menu descriptions
• evaluating the success of the menu and making adjustments as necessary.
A brief summary of each stage is provided below and we will look at each of these elements in more
detail later in this resource.
Understanding service style and cuisine
It’s at this stage that you need to think about the type of food that the establishment is known for or
serves. You will also need to know the menu type that you will be developing. For example:
• À la carte – this type of menu provides dishes that are cooked to order. It is common to include a
range of dishes that meet special dietary requirements on an à la carte menu. For example,
gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, healthier options and so on. Many private hospitals now offer à la
carte menus in preference to the cyclical menus of old.
• Buffet: a buffet menu provides a range of dishes presented at the same time and customers are
able to make selections and serve themselves. In a restaurant or catering setting, buffets are
usually priced per person rather than per dish. Buffets may include a range of dishes to meet
special dietary requirements (for example, gluten free, vegetarian, dairy-free options) or the
entire buffet may be prepared to meet a specific special dietary need. For example, a buffet for a
religious or cultural ceremony.
• Cyclical: a cyclical menu provides pre-planned menus offered over a number of days. The
customer can usually select items from a cyclical menu in advance. Cyclical menus are often
used by hospitals, aged care and residential facilities, and children’s services. Cyclical menus
often meet specific nutritional and dietary needs due to the needs of those in the specific facility.
• Degustation: a degustation menu provides a set number of dishes and in a set order.
Degustation menus are sometimes offered in conjunction with an à la carte menu so each
SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
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Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 11
customer can select individual dishes from the menu or can choose to have the set menu. A
degustation menu can sometimes be customised to meet special dietary needs.
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• Ethnic: an ethnic menu presents dishes from a particular cuisine type that is not local (or
Western). For example, an ethnic menu might present menus that are Chinese in origin or Greek
in origin. Australia is blessed with strong multi-cultural influences that have generated a wealth of
ethnic menu styles.
• Set: a set menu is often used for a function or event. It presents predetermined dishes in a
specific order and customers are not offered any choice.
• Table d’hôte: a table d’hôte menu is a style of set menu where the customer pays a set price for
a specified number of courses. Customers are usually presented with a number of choices for
each course but the range may not be as wide as with an à la carte menu. As with the other
service styles mentioned, table d’hôte lends itself to cultural and religious ceremonial-style
meals.
• Seasonal: a seasonal menu is created specifically for a season. It usually presents a range of
dishes made from seasonally available ingredients and that reflects the style of food preferred by
customers at a particular time. For example, hearty stews and soups in winter and salads in
summer. A seasonal menu will often have a range of dishes that meet special dietary needs.
Seasonal availability of ingredients should also be taken into account when planning menus.

Understanding your customers
It would be almost impossible to plan a menu that meets the special dietary and nutritional needs of
your customers if you don’t understand what those needs are. Think about:
• Age and stage: how old are your customers and what stage of life are they in? You would be
unlikely to plan a menu full of complex, hot and spicy flavours with foods that could pose a
choking hazard for a group of toddlers at a childcare centre. Where do toddlers fit within the
Australian Dietary Guidelines?
• Budget: at what price point should you develop your menu? How can you supply your customers
with nutritious, appetising and appealing food and provide value for money?
• Tastes and preferences: what style of food do your customers prefer? What dishes are popular?
Are your customers particularly health conscious? Do your customers prefer vegetarian options?
• Social and cultural background: look at the cultural background of your current customers. Is the
local area changing? What are the social structures and perspectives of your customers? Do
your customers expect a certain style of food?
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The role of other professionals
When developing meal plans or cyclical menus in a health care or residential setting, you will often
work closely with other professionals to develop menus to meet the specific dietary needs of
customers or groups of customers. For example, you might work with:
• allied health professionals
• dieticians
• medical specialists
• nutritionists.

Availability – ingredients, equipment, time and expertise
Consider the equipment you have available in your kitchen. It would be a mistake to plan a dish that
you are unable to prepare because you don’t have a particular piece of equipment. Perhaps you don’t
have people with the expertise to prepare certain styles of food. How much time do you have for mise
en place?
You should also consider ingredients at this stage. Are they readily available? Do they fit within your
budget? Is the quality good? Are they in season?
Nutritional needs
Consider your customer’s nutritional needs. Refer to the Australian Dietary Guidelines appropriate to
their age and stage. Do they have specific macro- or micronutrient needs related to a medical
condition? Do you need to work with their health care professional, their nutritionist or dietician?
Allergies, food sensitivities, interactions with medications
Have you considered all relevant allergies and food sensitivities and addressed them? Are there any
medication interactions that you must consider?
Textures/other issues
Have you considered issues such as specific textural needs, liquid diets, temperature requirements
and so on?
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Drafting the menu
It’s at this stage that you will begin to draw together the information you have gathered to decide on
the recipes that will make up your menu. You should seek input from customers, colleagues and
others including medical professionals to ensure that your menu will meet everyone’s needs.
You should aim to strike a balanced variety of:
• colours
• cooking methods
• delicacies
• flavours
• textures
• textures
• nutritional values
• presentation
• seasonally available ingredients
• tastes.
Flavour balance
Achieving a balance of flavours across the menu is an important consideration. What flavour balance
means is achieving a range of flavours across your menu. Is there something on the menu that would
appeal to the majority of your customers? Is there a variety of flavours – strong, mild, spicy, sweet,
salty? Is the menu too reliant on a particular flavour?
Texture balance
A balance of textures across the menu is also important (where appropriate). It’s about creating a
range of dishes of various textures so there are choices that will appeal to the majority of customers.
Are there dishes that are smooth and creamy, crisp and fresh, and crunchy? Are there hot and cold
dishes?
Nutritional balance
In an increasingly health-conscious society, it is important that your menu has a balance of healthier
choices. This doesn’t mean that every dish on your menu has to be a healthy option, just that there
should be a balanced choice across the menu (again, where appropriate).
Choice and variety
Consider choice across the menu (particularly when developing cyclical menus and meal plans). Is
there sufficient choice across the menu? Remember that variety refers to variety in textures, flavours,
styles, cooking methods and so on.

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
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Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 15
3: Menu costing
Costing the menu
Once you have decided on the dishes that will make up your menu, you can cost them. An initial
costing of each dish on the menu will help you to:
• assess the profitability of each dish
• assess how much you would need to charge for each dish so you can decide whether it provides
value for money and aligns with your customers’ expectations.

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 16
4: Testing and finalising the menu
The next stage is to test each dish on the menu, gather feedback and adjust dishes as required. Once
each recipe is finalised, descriptions about each dish can be written and the menu produced.
The testing phase differs from organisation to organisation. In most cases, you will begin by preparing
the dish and doing your own evaluation. This means you will check the dish for:
• appearance and visual appeal
• colour
• consistency
• moisture content
• mouth feel and eating properties
• plate presentation
• portion size
• shape
• taste
• texture
• special dietary requirements
• nutritional properties.
You might then test the dish with your colleagues, a select group of customers or perhaps even
friends and family. You could also seek feedback from:
• dieticians
• medical specialists
• allied health professionals
• managers
• supervisors
• suppliers.

SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 17

Writing menu descriptions
Writing menu descriptions is one of many areas where it is important to understand your customer
profile. Menu descriptions should:
• suit the style of your organisation
• avoid the use of jargon
• be written using a clear description of the menu item
• be interesting and enticing
• highlight what is special about each dish
• describe the flavours and textures of the dish
• incorporate the name of the dish, a summary of the ingredients and a description of its highlights
• describe any unusual ingredients
• evoke emotion or desire
• not be too long or overly wordy
• avoid claims or language that is ‘flowery’ or over the top
• describe the dietary requirements the dish meets
• indicate where the dish has been developed to meet specific nutritional needs, those details
should be included.
Ensuring accuracy
Menu descriptions should be accurate. Ensure the claims you make on the menu are true. If you
specify the origins of an ingredient, the ingredient described must be in the dish. Equally, if you say
that an ingredient is free range or sourced locally, then that must be reflected in the dish.
Other details which must be correct include:
• the style of the dish
• flavours and textures
• the cuisine style
• specification of special dietary considerations: for example, if a dish is listed on the menu as
gluten free, it must be gluten free.
SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 18

Evaluating the menu and making adjustments
Once you have developed, tested and implemented a new menu, the work just doesn’t stop. Your
menus should be continuously evaluated and adjusted to ensure they are continuing to meet the
needs of your customers and of your establishment.
Types of adjustments
Types of menu adjustments include:
• changing the ingredients of a dish due to availability, cost or to adjust the quality of the dish
(flavour, balance, texture, presentation and so on)
• changing the presentation of a dish
• dropping a dish from the menu due to poor sales, availability of ingredients or change in
ingredient costs
• replacing a dish on the menu due to changes in the dietary needs of a customer; perhaps an
ingredient is no longer allergen free or the dish needs to change based on medical advice.
Sources of information
The information about your menu can come from a variety of sources including:
• Sales figures: how is the dish performing in comparison to others on the menu? How is the dish
performing against similar dishes served in the past? Are sales increasing or decreasing? Does
each dish continue to be profitable?
• Customer feedback: what do your customers say about each dish and the menu overall?
• Front-of-house feedback: what do these staff say about the menus and the discussions they
have with customers?
• Colleagues: what do they say about the menu? Is a particular dish difficult to prepare or too time
consuming? Is there too much waste and thus dishes are not cost effective?
• Popularity index: a popularity index ranks each dish on the menu according to its popularity. It is
calculated by dividing the total number of a particular dish sold by the total number of dishes on
the menu.
SITHKOP004 Develop menus for special dietary requirements
Learner Guide l Version 1.1 l June 2021, Review Aug 2022
Australian English Colleges t/a Australian College of Hospitality and Business Management
Provider Code: 45215 | CRICOS Provider Code 03630A 19
• Medical advice: have the needs of a specific customer changed? Has there been a medication
change? Has a new sensitivity or intolerance developed?
• Advice of other professionals: for example, allied health professionals, dieticians, nutritionists
may also contribute feedback or suggest alterations based on the changing needs of their client.