The Danish Diet and Nutrition Association

On 23rd April 1923 a group of 12 single female hospital foodservice managers met in a restaurant in Copenhagen and founded the Danish Diet and Nutrition Association. The main goals of the Association were to apolitically enhance the interest of the profession, to create a three year education in foodservice management and dietetics, to create courses to update the knowledge of the members, and to work towards better working conditions such as agreements on vacation and pension.

Today, 84 years later, the Danish Diet and Nutrition Association has developed into a professional association as well as a trade union for approximately 8000 administrative and clinical dietitians and healthcare cooks, with a staff of 35. The membership is still mainly female – only 1% of the members are male.

Although there have been many developments over the years, the objectives of the Association are still food and nutrition professional issues, enhancing the image of the profession, education, and better working and salary conditions for the members.

In order to inspire political decision makers, and to initiate debate and development among the members, the Danish Diet and Nutrition Association publishes relevant policies in different areas, such as education, food and meals, technology, labour market, work environment. Tools to analyse the cost effectiveness and quality of the foodservice have been developed, as well as ideas of good professional leadership. Many of these tools are web-based.

Being a trade union also means negotiating terms of salary and employment on behalf of the members. Every third year the main negotiations take place. In between, the Association assists the members with local negotiations, as well as assists the members who might have problems with their employer. A lot of time is also spent helping members with work related injuries and illnesses.

The membership of the Danish Diet and Nutrition Associations consists of both managers and employees from Denmark, Faroe Islands, and Greenland. It is a challenge, but the advantages of having the same goals and objectives are far greater than the disadvantages of possible conflicts of interests.

The managers are administrative dietitians who focus and work primarily within food service management with responsibility for providing nutritionally adequate, quality food to individuals or groups in health and disease in an
institution or community setting.

The employees are healthcare cooks with a three year apprenticeship in an institutional kitchen, including 30 weeks of theory in diets and nutrition, hygiene, calculations, and other skills combining quality food with good nutrition and safety.

The Association is governed by a Board consisting of the President (directly elected by the membership for a full-time paid position), five regional chairmen (directly elected by the membership in each of the five regions for full-time paid positions), two shop stewards (directly elected by the shop stewards for honorary positions), two leaders (directly elected by the leaders for honorary positions), one apprentice or student (directly elected by the apprentices and student for honorary position). The term of election is three years and reelection is possible unlimited.

A journal ‘Kitchen Life’ is issued 16 times per year as well as a newsletter ‘The Kitchen Way’ with information about new legislation, relevant statistics and other facts concerning the profession. The website www.kost.dk also provides the members with news and information. One of the very popular hits is the ‘Salary Calculator’.

An association cannot stand alone! One of the important objectives of the Danish Diet and Nutrition Association is to seek and gain optimal relevant influence. This is done through membership of national and international organisations and through representation on a number of councils and boards, including ‘the Advisory Board on Food’ of the Danish Minister of Family and Consumer Affairs.

In collaboration with others, the National Food Institute and the Danish Diet and Nutrition Association has initiated, completed, and is currently updating ‘the Danish Diet Manual’ as well as ‘Recommendations to the Danish Institutional Food’.

The Danish Diet and Nutrition Association is an ‘old lady’, but she is full of life and ready to meet the challenges of the future!

Main national and international
memberships:

• FTF – Confederation of Professionals in Denmark, a trade union confederation for 450,000 public and private employees (e.g. nurses, teachers, financial services, police officers, actors, etc.)
• The Health Cartel (nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, midwives and more healthcare professions)
• European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD), www.efad.org
• Healthcare Caterers International
• International Confederation of Dietetic Associations (ICDA), www.internationaldietetics.org

Contact Information
Kost & Ernæringsforbundet
(The Danish Diet and Nutrition Association)
Nørre Voldgade 90
DK-1358 Copenhagen K
Email: post@kost.dk
President: Ghita Parry
International contact:
Mary-Ann Sørensen

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