Fake News and Nutrition Charlatans

How much nutrition information will you consume this week and how much of it will come from qualified people? It is National Nutrition week in Australia and The Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics (CDND) are calling for the regulation of nutrition professionals to help protect the public from nutrition misinformation from unqualified people.

There is a tsunami of nutrition misinformation hitting the public from sources including celebrities, ‘wellness bloggers’ and science sceptics. “Public confusion over who to consult about food and nutrition is common” said Professor Danielle Gallegos, Chair of the CDND.

“Nutrition expertise and advice from qualified nutrition and dietetic professionals is often overlooked” reports Professor Gallegos. “We want to make it clear, nutrition is a complex science. The experts in nutrition science are graduates from universities offering recognised qualifications in nutrition science or nutrition and dietetics in Australia and New Zealand”.

“At the moment anybody can call themselves a nutritionist or a dietitian – but if you are looking for individualised nutrition advice or medical nutrition therapy, seek out an Accredited Practising Dietitian” advised Professor Gallegos. In Australia, Accredited Practising Dietitians are university qualified professionals that undertake ongoing training and education programs and practise in line with the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA) Professional Standards, to ensure that they are your most up-to-date and credible source of nutrition information.

The Australian Academy of Science, recently published the Decadal Plan for the Science of Nutrition and identified that “Gaining the public’s trust in scientists with recognised nutrition qualifications is crucial to the success of the decadal plan’s proposed trusted voice. There is an urgent need to help the public be able to recognise and differentiate the qualifications of scientifically educated professionals so they can make an informed choice.”

Professor Gallegos’ final advice this Nutrition Week is “In the face of any nutrition advice look for the qualified experts. The need for the regulation of nutrition professionals to stop nutrition misinformation has never been clearer, especially online and on social media”. So this nutrition week start making it a practice to look at the qualifications of the people who are giving you nutrition information – an Accredited Practising Dietitian is a good start.

Contacts

For further information or to organise an interview:

Professor Danielle Gallegos

Queensland University of Technology
Chair, Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics
danielle.gallegos@qut.edu.au
0409 681 807

Professor Eleanor Beck

University of Wollongong
Deputy Chair, Council of Deans of Nutrition and Dietetics
eleanor_beck@uow.edu.au
0408 266 832