Common questions

What IDDSI level is soup?

Soup does not have one IDDSI level. A thin broth or clear soup is a thin liquid, IDDSI Level 0. Soup blended completely smooth and strained, with no bits, that can be drunk from a cup and leaves more than 8 mL in the 10 mL syringe flow test can be Level 3 Liquidised. Soup with pieces of food in a thin liquid is a mixed thin-and-thick texture, which IDDSI lists as a choking risk at Levels 4, 5, and 6.

IDDSI describes Level 3 Liquidised food as something that can be eaten with a spoon or drunk from a cup, cannot be eaten with a fork because it drips through the prongs, and has no bits: no lumps, fibers, husk, shell, skin, gristle, or bone. Strain blended soup to catch anything the blender missed.

Test it with the syringe flow test at serving temperature. For Level 3, no less than 8 mL should remain in the syringe after 10 seconds. Your clinician may give you a more specific number between 8 and 10 mL.

Mixed textures are harder than they look. IDDSI explains that with soup that has pieces in it, the thin liquid is swallowed first and the solid pieces then have to be chewed and swallowed, which is a very complex task in one mouthful.

If your SLP has prescribed thickened drinks, a thin broth counts as a drink and has to meet that drink level too. Your speech-language pathologist decides the level. This page explains how a soup can be prepared and tested within it.