Food Service Management Dietetic Practice in Canada

Management is one of the three broad areas of dietetic practice in Canada. This section will focus specifically on Food Service Management.

Food services are establishments where food is served outside of the home. This includes restaurants, healthcare settings, residences (e.g. Long-Term Care homes, university student residences), educational sites (e.g. schools, universities), recreational facilities (e.g. tennis club), government buildings, correctional institutions (e.g. prisons), military sites, catering services, and more.

This section will provide you with an overview of Food Service Management, and describe how, where and with whom dietitians work in this area of practice.

An example is provided to help you understand the role of a dietitian working in Food Service Management.

What is Food Service Management?

Food Service Management incorporates the science of nutrition to manage high quality food services (e.g. patient meal services), programs (e.g. a staff training and development program), and projects (e.g. a retail improvement project for a staff cafeteria) for a diverse group of clients.

Food Service Management requires the application of knowledge and skills in the following areas, among others:

  • Strategic planning
  • Menu planning
  • Food production and distribution
  • Financial management
  • Human resource management
  • Food safety
  • Occupational health and safety
  • Marketing