Exploring the role of dietitians in the delivery of food safety information

Individuals with compromised immunity are at increased risk of foodborne disease. Such individuals need to be made aware of risk-reducing food safety practices that can reduce the risk of foodborne disease in this population. Dietitians are regulated by law to assess, diagnose and treat dietary/ nutritional problems, working directly, with individuals, and indirectly, through training/education of other health professionals. Identification of individuals who are at risk of foodborne illness is key to effective provision of any amount of food safety information to vulnerable patients. Food safety advice that dietitians provide to appropriate individuals could form part of their dietetic management, and research has found that the public has identified dietitians as health professionals they trust to provide food safety advice. However, gaps in food safety knowledge of registered dietitians are apparent, despite inclusion of food safety training in the undergraduate dietetic curriculum. The aim of this paper is to explore the potential role dietitians play in delivery of food safety information and consider this from an international perspective, as well as to determine potential opportunities to enable dietitians to deliver clinically applicable food safety information to consumers in order to help reduce their risk of foodborne disease.