The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI – for short) was implemented in January 2019. It was created to provide standard terms for the flow rate of thickened drinks and consistency of texture modified foods. This in turn should reduce the risks of patients being given a drink or a meal that would induce aspiration.

It is a great idea, however, the numbers used to describe the new consistencies are very close to the old ones. As a result, we are still hearing from healthcare professionals that this is still causing some confusion and you can see why E.g. the old stage 1 is now an IDDSI 2. The old stage 2 is now an IDDSI 3!

So, to help explain how the old and new terms relate – we created an information sheet that you can download from here: https://www.slodrinks.com/iddsi-terms-translation-download-our-handy-guide/

The IDDSI have produced one which is shown above. It and several other resources are available at their website https://iddsi.org/

If after visiting you have questions, we are happy to help. Just email support@slodrinks.com or call us on 03452 222 205.