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Currently, in the UK there are no legal requirements to become a nutritionist, though many nutritionists may have a qualification in nutrition. While anyone can call themselves a nutritionist or nutritional therapist, only those who are registered with the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) can call themselves Registered Nutritionists (RNutrs). For this reason, some nutritionists will choose to join a professional body or nutritionist register. These organisations regulate a high standard of practice and ensure their members are suitably qualified, insured, and abide by a code of ethics.
In the UK, professionals must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) to practice as a dietitian or call themselves a dietitian. To become a dietitian, professionals must take an approved programme at university (either a full-time undergraduate BSc (Hons) programme, or a full-time postgraduate programme leading to a Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) in dietetics or Masters (MSc) qualification in dietetics) and register with the HCPC. Registered dietitians are expected to meet the HCPC standards of conduct, ethics, performance, and standards for continuing professional development.
Below is a list of some of the professional bodies and nutritionist registers nutrition professionals may join. You can learn more about this on our professional bodies page.
Professional organisations and nutritionist registers
- Association for Nutrition
The Association for Nutrition is a professional body that holds the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN), a competency-based register of nutritionists. It sets proficiency and competence criteria, promotes continuing professional development, and accredits university undergraduate and postgraduate courses. - British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT)
BANT is the professional body for nutritional therapists. All BANT practitioners must have met the required standards of training, be fully insured and adhere to the BANT code of ethics and practice. - Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
Previously, the Nutritional Therapy Council held this register until it was transferred to the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. The CNHC ‘quality mark’ is supported by the Department of Health. - Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTP)
The FNTP provide information on education providers if you want to train as a nutritional therapist or are already a qualified practitioner looking to extend your training via Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses. - Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
The HCPC are responsible for the statutory regulation of 15 different health professions, including dietitians. - Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT)
The FHT is a professional association for complementary, beauty and sports therapists operating in the UK and Ireland.
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