Nutritionists and Dietitians as Key Actors in Local Food Systems: A Systems-Based Social Network Analysis

Nutritionists and dietitians play an important role in supporting sustainable food systems and diets; however, their involvement in local alternative food networks remains poorly defined. These actors are well placed to apply their extensive expertise in food, nutrition and health to the transformation of the contemporary food system and the promotion of more sustainable dietary practices that integrate locally available, seasonal and nutritious food. This study aimed to explore the role and connectivity of nutritionists and dietitians within a local food system, focusing on a peri-urban region in Australia, to better understand their potential contribution to sustainable and transformative food practices.

Using Social Network Analysis, the study mapped ties and attributes (sector, subregion, participation in local initiatives) and calculated in-degree centrality, betweenness centrality, density, path length and community structure.

Findings reveal that 23 nutritionists and dietitians (of 242 actors in the network) are strongly connected to each other but less integrated with other actors across the local food network. While they engage in personal sustainability practices, such as home gardening (57%) and sourcing food from local food channels (57%), collaborative participation was low (community gardens 0%; crop swaps 9%; volunteering at co-ops 4%). In contrast, the most visible and influential actors within the network, representing a range of disciplines/sectors, were more likely to be involved in these collaborative activities.

Limited integration of nutritionists and dietitians within the broader network of actors may indicate potential opportunities for greater contribution to local food system transformation. Greater participation in collaborative, place-based food activities could support systems-based practice, strengthen cross-sector relationships and enhance collective impact on local food environments, where supported by organisational roles and structures.