Dysphagia Knowledge Hub — 吞嚥困難知識庫

GBA Care Food Standards: T/SATA 084, 085, 094 Explained for International Buyers

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) — comprising Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong Province — has developed a coherent set of group standards for care food and dysphagia food that are reshaping procurement, product development, and quality benchmarking across the region. For international buyers, institutional procurement officers, and food manufacturers selling into the GBA elderly care market, understanding these three standards is essential.

This guide explains:

What each of the three standards covers and who drafted them
How they align with the international IDDSI framework
Why they matter for mainland China procurement tenders
What SeniorDeli (Carewells) products comply with, and how compliance is documented

1. The Three Standards at a Glance

Standard	Full Title	Issuing Body	Scope
T/SATA 084-2025	Specifications for Elderly Care Food for the Aged (适老照护食标准)	Shenzhen Ageing Industry Association (深圳市老龄事业发展基金会)	Texture-modified food and thickened fluids for elderly with chewing/swallowing difficulty
T/SATA 085-2025	General Specification for Elderly Food (适老食品通则)	Shenzhen Ageing Industry Association	Broader elderly-friendly food (softer, easier to eat, but not necessarily dysphagia-specific)
T/SATA 094-2025	General Requirements of Dysphagia Food — Care for Elderly (吞咽困難食品（適老照護）通用要求)	Greater Bay Area Standardization Research Centre (粵港澳大灣區標準化研究中心)	Food specifically for people with clinically identified swallowing difficulty

These are group standards (团体标准, T/), not national standards (GB). Group standards in China are voluntary in principle but are increasingly referenced as mandatory specifications in GBA procurement tenders, e-commerce platform onboarding requirements, and institutional purchasing contracts. Manufacturers who cannot demonstrate alignment with these standards are progressively excluded from the GBA institutional care market.

2. T/SATA 084-2025 — Elderly Care Food

2.1 What it covers

T/SATA 084 is the foundational care food standard for the GBA. It applies to texture-modified foods intended for elderly people with chewing or swallowing difficulties. Products within scope include:

Pureed meals for elderly (IDDSI Level 4 equivalent)
Minced and moist meals (IDDSI Level 5 equivalent)
Soft-texture ready meals (IDDSI Level 6 equivalent)
Fluid thickeners (starch and gum-based)
Texture-modified beverages and thickened drinks
Ready-to-heat dysphagia meal kits

2.2 Who drafted it

T/SATA 084-2025 was proposed jointly by:

Hong Kong Manufacturers’ Association (HKMA, 香港工業總會) — representing Hong Kong food manufacturers
Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS, 香港社會服務聯會) — the body that maintains the HKCSS Care Food Directory (carefood.org.hk)

This joint HK-mainland drafting process reflects the GBA’s cross-border policy architecture. HKCSS’s involvement means the standard is directly compatible with the HKCSS Care Food Directory’s existing criteria — a product meeting T/SATA 084 is typically also eligible for the HKCSS Directory, and vice versa.

The drafting team also included representatives from mainland GBA research institutions, food technology universities, and major care home operators.

2.3 Core technical requirements

The standard specifies:

Texture classification: three levels of texture modification aligned with IDDSI Levels 4, 5, and 6, with quantitative test criteria (viscosity ranges, fork-pressure results, syringe flow rates)
Sensory requirements: appearance, smell, and taste standards; no off-flavours; visually acceptable presentation
Food safety: microbiological limits (total plate count, coliform, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella), heavy metals, additives
Labelling: mandatory IDDSI-equivalent level declaration on packaging; energy and macronutrient declaration; allergen declaration

2.4 IDDSI alignment

T/SATA 084 was designed to align with IDDSI but is not a direct translation. Key alignment points:

IDDSI Level	T/SATA 084 Level	Notes
Level 4 (Pureed)	照护级 4 (Care Level 4)	Identical fork/syringe test criteria
Level 5 (Minced and Moist)	照护级 5 (Care Level 5)	Fork-pressure test consistent with IDDSI; bite-size specification aligned
Level 6 (Soft and Bite-Sized)	照护级 6 (Care Level 6)	Fork-test consistent; additionally specifies maximum particle size in mm
Levels 1–3 (Thickened fluids)	稠度级 1–3 (Consistency Levels 1–3)	Syringe flow test aligned with IDDSI; additionally includes viscosity (mPa·s) ranges

For manufacturers exporting from Hong Kong or producing in the mainland for GBA distribution, this alignment means that IDDSI-tested products can typically demonstrate T/SATA 084 compliance without complete reformulation — primarily a documentation and labelling exercise.

3. T/SATA 085-2025 — General Elderly Food

3.1 What it covers

T/SATA 085 is the companion standard to T/SATA 084 and covers a broader category: food for elderly people who have some difficulty eating, but who do not have a clinical diagnosis of dysphagia. This includes:

Softer-texture foods for elderly with reduced chewing ability (missing teeth, denture wearers)
Easy-to-grip packaging formats
Nutritionally enriched foods for elderly
Foods with reduced particle size (finely chopped, thinly sliced)

This maps roughly to IDDSI Level 6 (Soft and Bite-Sized) and Level 7 (Regular/Easy to Chew) at the food end, and to Level 0–1 for fluids (thin to slightly thick).

3.2 Who drafted it

Same drafting consortium as T/SATA 084: HKMA + HKCSS + GBA research institutions.

3.3 Why it matters for procurement

T/SATA 085 is relevant for:

Institutional catering in care homes where the majority of residents do not have clinical dysphagia but do need softer, easier-to-chew food
Retail elderly food products marketed to community-dwelling elderly consumers across the GBA
E-commerce onboarding: major mainland platforms (JD Health, Tmall Supermarket health category) are requiring T/SATA 085 compliance for elderly food product listings

For most dysphagia-specific products, T/SATA 084 and T/SATA 094 are the more relevant standards. T/SATA 085 is the companion standard that covers the broader elderly food category.

4. T/SATA 094-2025 — Dysphagia Food (Care for Elderly)

4.1 What it covers

T/SATA 094-2025, issued in September 2025, is the most clinically specific of the three standards and the one that matters most for dysphagia care procurement. It applies to food products and food service specifically for people who have been clinically identified as having swallowing difficulties (吞咽困難).

Products within scope:

Complete dysphagia meals (all texture levels)
Thickened fluids and fluid thickeners
Oral nutritional supplements formulated for dysphagia (pre-thickened)
Food prepared by catering operations for dysphagia patients

Notably, T/SATA 094 extends beyond product standards to cover:

Preparation and serving protocols — guidance for institutional food service
Labelling requirements specific to dysphagia context (including caregiver instructions)
Quality management for catering operations

4.2 Who drafted it

T/SATA 094 was issued by the Greater Bay Area Standardization Research Centre (粵港澳大灣區標準化研究中心) — the authoritative GBA-level standards body — rather than the Shenzhen association that issued 084 and 085. This elevates its authority within the GBA standardisation hierarchy.

SeniorDeli (Carewells) — the company behind SeniorDeli products — is listed as a Participating Drafting Unit (參編單位) for T/SATA 094-2025. This reflects active involvement in the standard’s development process, including participation in technical committee meetings, comment rounds, and product testing protocols that informed the final standard text.

4.3 The IDDSI alignment in T/SATA 094

T/SATA 094 achieves the most explicit IDDSI alignment of the three standards. The texture classification chapter directly maps GBA dysphagia levels to IDDSI levels with identical syringe flow rate criteria (10 mL syringe / 10 seconds / catheter-tip), fork test criteria, and the same four-level food and four-level fluid architecture.

This alignment is intentional: the standard explicitly acknowledges IDDSI as the international reference framework and positions T/SATA 094 as the GBA implementation of IDDSI with adaptations for:

Chinese food types (rice-based meals, tofu, Cantonese soups)
Chopstick-based eating utensils (the standard includes chopstick-adapted texture tests)
GBA food safety regulation framework (GB 2760, GB 7718, GB 28050)

4.4 Why T/SATA 094 matters for international buyers

If you are purchasing dysphagia food products for distribution in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, T/SATA 094 is the standard your procurement committee and compliance team will increasingly require suppliers to document. Specifically:

Hospital procurement tenders in GBA cities are beginning to reference T/SATA 094 as a qualification criterion
Insurance reimbursement schemes for care food — currently piloted in several GBA cities — are referencing T/SATA 094 as the basis for qualifying products
Care home operators in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Guangdong Prefecture purchasing texture-modified foods are adding T/SATA 094 to their supplier qualification documents

For Hong Kong care homes, T/SATA 094 complements (not replaces) the HKCSS Care Food Directory — the Directory remains the dominant reference in HK procurement, but GBA-facing procurement is increasingly requiring dual compliance.

5. How the Three Standards Fit Together

The three standards form a layered system:

T/SATA 085 — Elderly Food (general)
    ↓
T/SATA 084 — Elderly Care Food (texture-modified)
    ↓
T/SATA 094 — Dysphagia Food (clinical, for diagnosed swallowing difficulty)

A product compliant with T/SATA 094 (dysphagia food) meets the requirements of T/SATA 084 (care food) and T/SATA 085 (elderly food) in its applicable texture category. The reverse is not necessarily true.

For a procurement officer specifying texture-modified food for a care home with diagnosed dysphagia residents, T/SATA 094 is the appropriate standard to reference — it provides the highest level of clinical specificity and has the most direct IDDSI alignment.

6. SeniorDeli (Carewells) Product Compliance

6.1 Compliance documentation

SeniorDeli products for dysphagia are developed and tested to meet IDDSI framework requirements, with test results documented using the IDDSI standard testing methods. As a drafting participant in T/SATA 094-2025, SeniorDeli has verified product alignment with the standard’s texture classification, nutritional adequacy, labelling, and food safety requirements.

Documentation available on request:

IDDSI test results (syringe flow, fork pressure, spoon tilt) per product SKU and IDDSI level, at 20°C and 60°C
Nutritional analysis (per 100g and per serving)
Food safety test reports (microbiological, heavy metals, additives) from accredited HOKLAS or CNAS laboratories
T/SATA 094-2025 compliance self-declaration
HKCSS Care Food Directory listing documentation

6.2 IDDSI levels covered

SeniorDeli’s product range covers:

Food: IDDSI Levels 4 (Pureed), 5 (Minced and Moist), 6 (Soft and Bite-Sized)
Fluids / thickeners: IDDSI Levels 1–4 (thickener products designed for institutional and home use)

6.3 GBA procurement support

For GBA institutional procurement officers who need to:

Verify compliance documentation for a tender
Request laboratory test certificates
Understand the mapping between SeniorDeli product codes and T/SATA 094 levels
Arrange product sampling for institutional evaluation

Contact: [email protected]

7. Practical Guidance for Procurement Officers

7.1 Tender specification language

When specifying care food for a GBA institutional tender, recommended standard reference language:

For dysphagia-specific products:

“All texture-modified food products for residents with clinically identified dysphagia shall comply with T/SATA 094-2025 (General Requirements of Dysphagia Food — Care for Elderly) and shall be tested to the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) framework 2019 using the standard syringe flow test (10 mL catheter-tip syringe, 10 seconds). Test results shall be available for verification on request.”

For general care food:

“All texture-modified food products for elderly residents shall comply with T/SATA 084-2025 (Specifications for Elderly Care Food for the Aged). IDDSI level shall be declared on product labelling.”

7.2 Supplier qualification questions

Ask prospective suppliers:

Which T/SATA standards does your product comply with? Can you provide the compliance documentation?
What IDDSI levels has your product been tested to, using which testing method, and at what temperature?
Are your products listed in the HKCSS Care Food Directory (for HK distribution)?
What laboratory (HOKLAS/CNAS accredited) performed your food safety testing?
What is the viscosity (mPa·s) of your thickened fluid products at IDDSI Levels 1, 2, and 3?

7.3 Red flags in supplier claims

Supplier claims IDDSI compliance but cannot provide syringe test data
IDDSI level tested only at room temperature (20°C) but product will be served hot
Compliance documentation is a marketing brochure rather than a laboratory report
Supplier is unfamiliar with T/SATA 094-2025 despite selling into GBA care home market

8. The Broader Significance: Why These Standards Exist

The GBA care food standards emerged from a genuine public health need. China has approximately 50 million elderly people with some degree of dysphagia — a figure that will grow significantly with the aging population. The majority receive no texture modification at all, and those who do often receive inconsistently prepared food of unknown texture level.

The standardisation initiative — driven by Hong Kong’s more advanced care food ecosystem and the GBA’s policy ambition to develop a cross-border elderly care market — aims to:

Create a common language for dysphagia food texture across HK, Macau, and mainland China
Enable institutional procurement at scale (hospitals, care homes) to specify and verify food quality
Create a quality floor that prevents the most unsafe products from reaching vulnerable residents
Support a GBA-wide elderly care industry that can serve the coming demographic challenge

For manufacturers, distributors, and care providers, the standards represent both a compliance requirement and an opportunity: the GBA care food market is large, growing, and increasingly willing to pay for quality-certified products.