These Nutrition Society conference symposium proceedings, delivered jointly with the British Dietetic Association, examine factors which create barriers to the provision of good nutritional care in frail older people.

Topics in this paper include:

• Identi?cation of undernutrition
• Dietary approaches to address undernutrition in older adults
• Food forti?cation
• Feeding assistance
• Meal style and environment
• Nutrition knowledge

It finds that a lack of nutrition knowledge is the greatest barrier to the provision of good nutritional care, and that education and training of care staff are pivotal for the success of any intervention to address undernutrition.

It also notes that the development of undernutrition is a multi-factorial process and a package of approaches may be required to prevent or treat undernutrition.