The Association for Nutrition (AfN) is the voluntary regulator for

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...

s and nutrition scientists in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The association is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

and is a custodian of the United Kingdom Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) Its purpose is to "protect and benefit the public by defining and advancing standards of

evidence-based Evidence-based practice is the idea that occupational practices ought to be based on scientific evidence. The movement towards evidence-based practices attempts to encourage and, in some instances, require professionals and other decision-makers ...

practice across the field of nutrition and at all levels within the

workforce In macroeconomics, the workforce or labour force is the sum of people either working (i.e., the employed) or looking for work (i.e., the unemployed): \text = \text + \text Those neither working in the marketplace nor looking for work are out ...

". The Association for Nutrition and the UKVRN are acknowledged by

Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...

Careers, NHS Choices and the

National Careers Service The National Careers Service is the English publicly-funded careers service founded in April 2012 for persons aged 13 and over. History The National Careers Service was established on the April 5, 2012, replacing Next Step and Connexions Direct ...

as the

professional body A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) is a group that usually seeks to advocacy, further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in ...

for nutritionists in the UK. The association's

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

is Helen Clark.

The register

All registrants on the UKVRN have had to provide evidence of their training and professional nutrition experience. They have also committed to abide by a standard of ethics, conduct, and performance. There are three categories of UKVRN registrants: ''Registered Nutritionist (RNutr)'' with nutrition in

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

nutrition science Nutritional science (also nutrition science, sometimes short ''nutrition'', dated trophology) is the science that studies the physiological process of nutrition (primarily human nutrition), interpreting the nutrients and other substances in food ...

, sport & exercise,

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

animal nutrition Animal nutrition focuses on the dietary nutrients needs of animals, primarily those in agriculture and food production, but also in zoos, aquariums, and wildlife management. Constituents of diet Macronutrients (excluding fiber and water) provide ...

, ''Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr)'' and ''Fellow of AfN (FAfN)''.

Registered Associate Nutritionists

Registered Associate Nutritionists (

post-nominal Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters, or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation ...

s: ANutr) are recent graduates, who have been able to demonstrate a sound foundation of knowledge and understanding in

, and are working towards gaining sufficient experience within a specialist area to become a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr).

Registered Nutritionists

Registered Nutritionists (post nominals RNutr) have been assessed as having demonstrated that they have met rigorously applied knowledge, understanding and practice

core competencies Core or cores may refer to: Science and technology * Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages * Core (laboratory), a highly specialized shared research resource * Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding * Core (optical fiber), t ...

set by the AfN. They commit to keeping their knowledge up to date and ensuring they follow evidence-based practice.

Fellows of the Association for Nutrition

Fellows (FAfN) have been Registered Nutritionists (RNutr) for at least five years and have been recognized by their peers as have made a significant and sustained contribution to the advancement of nutrition practice, research or education at a national or international level."Fellowship of the AfN Description"
Accessed 15 January 2015.

References

External links

* {{authority control Health in the London Borough of Camden Learned societies of the United Kingdom Nutrition in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden