The United States IDDSI Reference Group (USIRG) has been hard at work since 2020. IDDSI is the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative — a global wave to standardize dysphagia diets for the safety of people with dysphagia. I have been blogging about IDDSI since 2014, and now I am actively co-creating resources in our USIRG chart at IDDSI.org to foster the implementation of the IDDSI framework around the world. I am a member of the Resources & Best Practice and the Implementation & Advocacy work groups.
Join the excitement! The world has reached a consensus on how to label, describe/define, and test foods and liquids within dysphagia diets. It has been truly inspiring meeting people from around the world (over 40 different countries) who are forming reference groups to launch IDDSI in their countries. We are all now speaking the same language and can avoid the errors of the past with vague diet labels and descriptions! Don’t take my word for it: Check out this video where people recorded “Why I IDDSI!” (presented at the Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo, 2021).