CareEZ is built on four interlocking clinical standards. Every product, model output, and training module maps to the same underlying clinical taxonomy — locally and internationally validated.
Dysphagia food and liquid classification is a multi-standard space. Hong Kong operates its own 照護食 standard (HKCSS), grounded in the international IDDSI framework, with additional validation through the Greater Bay Area T/SATA group standards. CareEZ is the only platform that explicitly maps across all four and surfaces the alignment — or divergence — to the carer in real time.
The 照護食 standard developed by the HKCSS Care Food Working Group since 2023. Hong Kong's canonical reference for care food classification, preparation, and carer training. Aligned with IDDSI and adapted to local cuisine and care settings. Clinical reference: dysphagia.cn.
International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative — the global framework for classifying texture-modified foods and thickened liquids. Eight levels (0–7) for liquids and foods. Used in 70+ countries. CareEZ's classification API uses IDDSI levels as its primary output schema.
Shenzhen Analysis and Testing Association (深圳市分析測試協會) group standard. General requirements for dysphagia food labelling and packaging in elderly care settings. SeniorDeli is a named institution in the standard.
T/SATA 085-2025 companion standard — quality evaluation methods for dysphagia foods for elderly care. Specifies testing protocols for texture, viscosity, and safety compliance. SeniorDeli is a named institution.
General Requirements for Dysphagia Foods for Elderly Care — the primary GBA product standard. SeniorDeli is a co-drafting institution. Aligned with IDDSI and HKCSS 護食標準. September 2025.
The table below maps the four frameworks at the texture-level granularity used in clinical practice and CareEZ's AI classification outputs. For full clinical reference at each level, see dysphagia.cn.
| IDDSI Level | IDDSI Label (EN) | HKCSS 護食標準 / 照護食 | T/SATA 094-2025 | CareEZ Deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 0 | Thin (liquid) | 無需增稠 — standard liquid, no modification required | Liquid Group Level 0 — unmodified | Classification API returns Level 0; no thickener dosage required |
| Level 1 | Slightly Thick | 微稠液體 — mildly thickened; requires measurable resistance | Liquid Group Level 1 — slightly thickened (viscosity 1–50 mPa·s) | API returns Level 1 + thickener dosage calculator for target viscosity range |
| Level 2 | Mildly Thick | 輕稠液體 — flows off a spoon, pours slowly | Liquid Group Level 2 — mildly thickened (51–350 mPa·s) | API returns Level 2 + dosage; aspiration screen prompts re Level 2 adequacy for resident profile |
| Level 3 | Moderately Thick | 中稠液體 — pourable, maintains shape; sippable from a cup with effort | Liquid Group Level 3 — moderately thickened (351–1750 mPa·s) | API returns Level 3; carer guidance includes cup vs. spoon delivery note |
| Level 4 | Extremely Thick / Puréed | 極稠液體 / 糊狀食物 — can be eaten with a spoon; does not flow; smooth, no lumps | Food Group Level 4 — puréed consistency; cohesive; no lumps (>4 mm) | Vision classifier identifies Level 4 from photo; carer receives spoon-feed guidance |
| Level 5 | Minced & Moist | 細碎及濕潤食物 — small soft pieces (≤4 mm); easily mashed with tongue | Food Group Level 5 — minced moist; particle size ≤4 mm; no separate thin liquid | Vision + text classifier; preparation guide for RCHE kitchen staff included in output |
| Level 6 | Soft & Bite-Sized | 軟質及切細食物 — soft, tender pieces (≤15 mm); can be mashed with tongue or palate | Food Group Level 6 — soft bite-sized; particle ≤15 mm; fork-pressable | Vision classifier + 護食標準 Seven Key Elements reference surfaced in carer output |
| Level 7 | Regular / Easy to Chew | 普通食物 / 易咀嚼 — normal texture with possible modification for oral processing | Food Group Level 7 — normal / easy chew (standard elderly diet baseline) | API confirms Level 7; aspiration screen checks if Level 7 is clinically appropriate for resident |
Viscosity ranges (mPa·s) follow T/SATA 094-2025 and are consistent with IDDSI 2019 Flow Test and Fork Drip Test specifications. HKCSS 護食標準 terminology follows the 2023 Guideline of Care Food Standard issued by the HKCSS Care Food Working Group. For full clinical reference including testing methods and visual descriptors, see dysphagia.cn. Where standards diverge in edge cases, the CareEZ classification output flags the discrepancy and defers to clinical assessment.
The T/SATA group standards are issued by the Shenzhen Analysis and Testing Association (深圳市分析測試協會) and carry the Greater Bay Area regional standard designation. SeniorDeli (Carewells Limited) is a co-drafting institution of T/SATA 094-2025 and is named in the two companion standards — a substantive technical contribution to the GBA dysphagia food standard infrastructure, not a nominal listing.
Specifies labelling, packaging, and information disclosure requirements for dysphagia food products sold or distributed in elderly care settings in the GBA. Ensures IDDSI-consistent texture labelling visible to carers at point of preparation. SeniorDeli named institution.
Testing and evaluation methods — viscosity measurement, texture profiling, particle size analysis — for determining IDDSI level compliance in manufactured dysphagia food products. Provides the measurement protocol that backs up HKCSS 護食標準 labelling claims. SeniorDeli named.
The primary GBA product standard — general requirements covering food safety, IDDSI-aligned texture classification, nutritional adequacy, and manufacturing requirements for dysphagia food products in elderly care. SeniorDeli is a co-drafting institution (September 2025). Aligned with HKCSS 護食標準 and the international IDDSI framework.
The HKCSS Care Food Working Group's 照護食 standard is structured around Seven Key Elements — the evaluation framework used for the Care Food Cooking Competition and the product directory. CareEZ's AI output explicitly references these elements where relevant to the carer's query, and the four-language knowledge hub at dysphagia.cn provides full clinical reference at each element level.
All clinical content underlying the CareEZ standards alignment — IDDSI testing methods, HKCSS 護食標準 element explanations, T/SATA 094-2025 general requirements, aspiration risk indicators, and thickener dosage tables — is published in full at dysphagia.cn and softmeal.org.
The knowledge base comprises 600+ structured clinical articles across four languages: English, Traditional Chinese (繁體中文), Filipino (Tagalog), and Bahasa Indonesia. No paywall. No login required. It is the same reference base the CareEZ AI assistant draws on when generating carer guidance — making the AI's clinical reasoning fully auditable by any clinical reviewer who questions a specific output.
Clinical governance of the knowledge base rests with Karen Chan (HKU Swallowing Research Laboratory) — see Team for her role and Governance for the data-stewardship structure.
繁體版本籌備中 — Traditional Chinese version in preparation. 臨床參考資料現已在 dysphagia.cn 提供繁體中文版本。