A therapeutic diet manual must be:

A therapeutic diet manual being current is crucial for ensuring that the dietary guidelines reflect the latest research, best practices, and nutritional recommendations. This serves two primary purposes: it helps to provide accurate and effective dietary interventions for residents' health needs and preferences, and it ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and standards of care in assisted living facilities.

A current diet manual helps staff make informed decisions about residents' meals, accommodating specific health conditions and dietary restrictions effectively. Regular updates to the manual also reflect any changes in food safety standards, ingredient availability, and advances in nutritional science, which are necessary to provide the best care possible.

The other choices suggest varying requirements for how recent or frequently a therapeutic diet manual should be updated. However, the key focus remains on the need for the manual to be current to ensure that it serves its intended purpose effectively. Any outdated information could potentially lead to poor dietary choices that could adversely affect residents' health and wellbeing.