Nutritionists Are Working Illegally If Not Registered

Regional Dietitian at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Dr. Rosalee Brown, says that it is illegal for persons who are not registered with the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine, to work as nutritionists.

Dr. Brown was addressing a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency’s regional office in Montego Bay, St. James on Thursday (March 24).

She warned that “we have many Jamaicans who have basic training, and they are going around saying they are nutritionists. It is illegal [to do so] unless they are licensed with the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine.”

Dr. Brown also outlined the training necessary for eligibility to the profession, and that there are differences between a dietitian and a nutritionist.

“A dietitian is a nutritionist, but a nutritionist is not a dietitian. A dietitian is a professional who is trained at a minimum at the bachelor’s [degree] level and then that person will have to complete an internship or a supervised practice programme and must be registered with the Council of Professions Supplementary to Medicine,” she said.

“A nutritionist can enter [the profession] using several tracks, so the nutritionist can be one who starts with a Bachelor of Science … and then they would have done the masters [degree] in nutrition. They can also enter by doing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics … [or by] doing a Bachelor of Science Degree in nutrition and dietetics without the internship and then they would do a master’s degree,” Dr. Brown underscored.

The Think Tank was held to highlight the Jamaica Association of Professionals in Nutrition and Dietetics’ (JAPINAD) 20th anniversary, which the organisation will be celebrating all year. So far, as part of the celebrations, a church service was held and a virtual awards ceremony, during which longstanding members of JAPINAD were recognised.

JAPINAD is a non-profit professional organisation that represents all practitioners in the field of dietetics and nutrition. It was launched in 2002 and has a membership of professionals and paraprofessionals across the island. JAPINAD members are employed

largely to the ministries of Health and Wellness, and Education and Youth, tertiary institutions and in the private sector.