The Times spoke to five residents on Monday who claimed the pre-cooked and reheated meals provided to them were mostly inedible, with dried-out, tough and overcooked meat, soggy vegetables, spicy stews and stale cakes.

One hostel resident refused to eat many of the dishes and, after dropping five kilograms, was told by her doctor to drink Sustagen to supplement her diet.

Others were spending up to $100 a week on groceries, such as roast chickens, frozen pies and take-away quiches, despite paying the IRT 85 per cent of their pension to pay for care, cleaning, washing and food.

Residents claimed they were offered only one piece of fresh fruit once or twice a week, while the fruit juice provided was a powdered variety or juice strained from stewed fruit tins.

Many relied on relatives and friends to bring them fresh food, while others were taken out to eat once a week by family members.

Some, like Ted Geddes, choose to stay in their rooms and skip meals most days.

A retired road train driver, Mr Geddes said he had done it “pretty rough” over the years, often eating in mine camps and on remote cattle stations, but he had never encountered the “third world slop” he was served at Sarah Claydon.

“If the miners were given food this bad, they would have burned the camp kitchen down,” he said.

“I’m not a fussy eater, but the food here is terrible.

“It’s either so over-cooked that you can’t chew it, or it’s that spicy that you can’t eat it.

“I’ve lost 20 kilos since I had my leg off in September.

“I don’t want anything flash, just basic, decent food.”

He said since the recent salmonella outbreak at some IRT centres, residents had not be served any salad and had to “beg for fruit”.

Mr Geddes lived mainly off tinned fruit or soups and relied on his sister to take him out occasionally or his neighbour June Fettell to bring some food from the supermarket.

Mrs Fettell is capable of riding her scooter into Milton to purchase take-away food and supplies from the supermarket for herself and Mr Geddes who remains house-bound after having his leg amputated.

She said she spent up to $100 a week on food and was reimbursed about $60 from IRT.

She has lived in the village for almost four years and has continually complained about the quality of food.

Mrs Fettell claims it is not fresh and has the nutrients “cooked out of it” after being cooked in Wollongong, frozen and reheated in a microwave at the Milton facility.

However, she said her concerns and the concerns of others had continually fallen on deaf ears.

“I have written to management, local MPs and the minister, but nothing has changed.”

Mrs Fettell said she was recently given a fried egg that was “like a piece of rubber” after being cooked and reheated in the microwave.

“Sometimes they give us fish fingers or chicken nuggets, like we are children - that is rubbish,” she added.

Both Mrs Fettell and Mr Geddes said their special dietary needs had not been catered for, despite an “occasional visit” from a dietician.

IRT chief executive Nieves Murray said menus were “designed to provide residents with a well-balanced nutritional diet”.

“Meals for our residents are prepared and cooked at our central kitchen in Wollongong,” she said.

“They are delivered to our care centres and then reheated and individually plated in our site kitchens.

“This process allows us to provide residents with greater choice, while ensuring consistent quality and safe food preparation.

“The meals we prepare have no preservatives, no artificial colourings and are low in salt.

“Our menus have been reviewed by a dietician from the University of Wollongong to ensure they are of the highest nutritional value.

“We also have visiting dieticians on-site to review individual eating plans.”

Ms Murray said IRT offered a range of menu choices to residents, ranging from hot meals with vegetables, to soup and sandwiches.

“We regularly consult with residents about their dietary requirements and food preferences, both individually and at our regular food forums,” she said.

“We have worked with residents on their suggestions for improvement and have added items to the menus as a result of specific resident requests.

“Changes have also been made to recipes at the request of residents.”

Following the recent salmonella outbreak, Ms Murray said the NSW Food Authority had conducted “rigorous scientific testing and inspections over several weeks at both IRT catering and our care centre kitchens, and has found no evidence of salmonella”.

However residents are calling for family members to talk to their relatives in Sarah Claydon about their food and to write letters to local MPs and IRT management calling for improvement in the quality and preparation of food.

Despite concerns with the menu, residents said the staff and level of care they received at the centre was “excellent”.