Why Dietitians Are Hospital Food Service Managers

 Written By: Peter Baartman; SLU Dietetic Intern

        Have you heard of a Dietitian? Chances are, if you see someone with the letters “RDN, LD” behind their name, you may wonder what sport they play, or what Greek life they took part in. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, RDs, are vital healthcare professionals, but the role of an RD expands beyond the hospital. RDs work in private practices and public health roles, but they also have a heavy influence on food service operations. Even within the Dietetic profession, however, foodservice is commonly the least popular avenue to take. Clinical, corporate, and any other avenue of nutrition services almost always takes precedence in people's job searches. 

        Isn't food service for Head Chefs and general managers with MBAs to handle though? Despite the commonality of this thought, there are very good reasons Dietitians are involved in foodservice, specifically in the hospital. Dietitians provide valuable insight, training, and leadership for hospital foodservice staff, from the smallest rural operation to a 1500 bed hospital. Dietitians are needed in foodservice in order to effectively serve nutritious and engaging meals to hospital patients, while also taking into account the individuality and needs of every patient. RDs offer effective leadership and training for the foodservice staff, and a more informed understanding of patients' needs and desires.

        First off, it is important to know what a food service manager actually does. This role extends through a lot of different careers, from fast food managing, catering businesses, and the big one, hospital foodservice. The food service manager is the person in charge of the entire operation as a whole. They oversee employees, develop the menu, and direct the process of ordering and receiving deliveries of food and equipment. They organize the schedule, do inspections to make sure the kitchen is working smoothly, conduct customer satisfaction surveys and education initiatives in the hospital; the list goes on and on. This sounds like the kind of job for someone with a management or human resources degree, so again, what does being a Dietitian have to do with all of this? 

        The first and most important reason is that Dietitians are trained to do this job! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics puts it this way: “Often RDNs… who work in the area of food service must juggle management roles with food planning, safety and recipe analysis, which requires a broad skillset”(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics(AND), 2024). Most undergraduate Nutrition degrees include multiple classes and 15 or more credit hours of specific foodservice management courses. Students learn budgeting, employee management, menu development, and more. By the time students come to their Dietetic Internship, the accredited internship hours dietetic students undertake to qualify for their license, they have 9 weeks or more of food service experience, depending on their specific program. A significant portion of the accreditation exam for RDs is foodservice based and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics includes management of any retail food operation or hospital foodservice system in its official position paper(AND, 2024). RDs also, in the course of their education, take culinary specific classes, learning basic cooking techniques, presentation skills, and become certified foodservice managers. Because of this, RDs already understand the minutiae of what their foodservice employees do, which facilitates a better employer/employee relationship. It also makes RDs qualified to train employees on food safety, knife skills, or menu planning, because they understand food safety and kitchen operations through firsthand experience. That firsthand experience opens up avenues of management that would otherwise be overlooked or unknown to traditional managers. All of this comes together to shape professional Dietitians who are capable of managing foodservice operations. 

        RDs are not solely capable because of their foodservice training. An important aspect of hospital foodservice is the ability to understand and adapt to specific patients' needs. When in the hospital, every single patient could be on a completely different diet than the patient in the same room as them! They could have allergies, conditions that require specifications for preparation of their food, or simply are looking for an appetizing meal that fits into their hospital chosen diet order. This is where RDs have an advantage over traditional managers. RDs are experts in nutrition, and go through extensive clinical training in order to prepare for patient feeding scenarios. Thus, when it comes time to update or change the menu at the hospital, Dietitians can create meal options that not only fit into the diet orders specifications, but are foods patients actually want to eat. RDs understand the needs of specific patients, and can order and plan menu items that tailor to a patient who has an allergy, or is a newly diagnosed celiac patient or Type 2 Diabetic. When RDs make the menu, the nutrition information is accurate, the operation makes quality food that fits specific dietary needs, and the food is varied and interesting (not just the same old dishes over and over again). RDs are also trained in sustainability in foodservice operations, and can implement initiatives to make their kitchens more sustainable. 

        Lastly, RDs are able and effective educators, using the kitchen for more than just serving food. RDs as managers can create education programs about nutrition, showcase interesting and delicious dishes using specific inpatient diets, and more. As experts in nutrition, dieticians manage kitchens that are more sustainable, provide quality food to varied patients, and can educate employees and patients alike about healthy eating. The British Dietetic Association summarizes the role of an RD in foodservice, saying “Food service dietitians drive improvement through food and drink services that are good quality, safe, nutritionally adequate, patient-focused and represent good value for money”(British Dietetic Association, 2024). If the goal of hospital foodservice is patient satisfaction, quality food, and well-run operations, Dietitians as foodservice managers are the answer. There is no one better to manage a hospital kitchen, or any kitchen, than your friendly neighborhood nutrition expert, the RD.

Sources: 

1. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2021 Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Management of Food and Nutrition Systems Roseman, Mary G. et al. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Volume 121, Issue 6, 1157 - 1174.e29 

2. BDA. “Chapter 2: The Role of the Food Service Dietitian.” Www.bda.uk.com, www.bda.uk.com/practice-and-education/nutrition-and-dietetic-practice/the-nutrition-and -hydration-digest/the-role-of-the-food-service-dietitian.html. 

3. Eatrightpro.org, 2024, www.eatrightpro.org/practice/dietetics-resources/foodservice.