Where do dietitians work and who do they work with?

Dietitians in Food Service Management work in collaboration with team members relevant to the practice setting. As a member of a team, dietitians manage projects, and help organizations achieve strategic goals, thereby meeting the needs of the client.

Dietitians working in Food Service Management serve and interact with a diverse group of stakeholders including: patients, residents and families (e.g. in Long-Term Care homes), students, retail customers, employees, volunteers, an organization’s management team (e.g. department managers or directors), community members (e.g. seniors, youth), and more.

Below describes practice settings where dietitians may work and the stakeholders they interact with, among others.

Hospitals and Long-Term Care homes

Dietitians may interact with:

• Administrators and department leaders (e.g. director of human resources, manager of purchasing)
• Interprofessional medical care team (e.g. nursing staff, personal support workers, medical staff)
• Clinical registered dietitians
• Nutrition managers (e.g. chef manager and/or food production manager) and food service employees (e.g. cooks and dietary aides)
• External product and service suppliers (e.g. a group purchasing organization and food and supply distributors)
• Board of Governors (e.g. in a large healthcare facility)
• Resident Council (e.g. in Long-Term Care homes)

Community programs related to food and nutrition

(e.g. food skills or cooking programs, school nutrition programs)

Dietitians may interact with:

• Community leaders (e.g. director of a local food bank)
• Program stakeholders (e.g. older adults participating in an educational cooking program)
• Public health dietitians and public health nurses (e.g. to coordinate initiatives)

Business and Industry

(e.g. food service management companies, food and/or beverage companies, dining services, employee cafeterias, special event catering)

Dietitians may interact with:

• Food service directors or managers, catering managers
• Organization’s key clients (e.g. administrators, building services directors)
• Organization’s department managers, program managers and/or team members (e.g. purchasing manager, quality assurance manager, sales and marketing team)
• Food committee (e.g. committee of customers and stakeholders who use the food services on a regular basis and provide feedback on services provided)
• External product and service suppliers (e.g. food and supply distributors)

Other Settings

Dietitians may work in other settings such as college and university campuses, government buildings, sports and recreation facilities, private homes such as retirement homes, correctional facilities, and daycares.

Dietitians may interact with:

• Government officials (e.g. policy advisors or support staff with the provincial government’s Ministry of Education)
• Organization’s key clients (e.g. program administrators, business officers, daycare providers)
• Board of Governors (e.g. a committee that governs the food services department contract in a large university)