Declining household cooking skills, limited cooking education, the high cost of healthy food and modern lifestyles have collectively contributed to a significant shift in cooking behaviours (1, 2) . Consequently, there is a need for tailored cooking education. A consensus definition for the term culinary nutrition has recently been proposed: “the integration of culinary arts and nutrition that applies practical knowledge and skills to improve food and nutrition-related health” (3) . Given their expertise, nutrition and dietetic professionals are well-positioned to deliver culinary nutrition education. However, limited research has explored nutritionists’ and dietitians’ perspectives of culinary nutrition. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of key stakeholders in nutrition and dietetics regarding the role of cooking in professional practice and education and understand how these perspectives might inform future recommendations in culinary nutrition. Researchers adopted a realist ontology and essentialist epistemology. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted between June and July 2025. Eligible participants were either: 1) AfN fully registered nutritionists and dietitians (registered or associate role) with current or previous experience delivering cooking programmes; 2) individuals employed to design, manage or deliver higher education AfN or BDA accredited UK nutrition or dietetic programmes, respectively; 3) individuals employed at a nutrition or dietetic UK public authority (e.g. BDA, AfN, BNF). Convenience and snowball sampling was used for recruitment. The topic guide was developed by the research team and piloted with one individual who met the eligibility criteria. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and a Reflexive Thematic Analysis (4) conducted using NVivo software. The study was approved by King’s College London Research Ethics Committee (MRA-24/25-46937). Fourteen interviews were conducted with seven dietitians and seven nutritionists, all women and predominantly white (71.4%). Five preliminary themes were developed: 1) The reality of cooking, highlighting challenges facing the population; 2) Collaborative community cooking programmes, demonstrating the value of partnerships; 3) Investing in cooking education, underlining the critical role of cooking within schools and university programmes; 4) Understanding cooking and tailored support, emphasising the need for contextualised approaches and cultural competency; 5) Food for thought – the future of culinary nutrition, exploring the growing need for increased government funding to support culinary nutrition as a fundamental tool for lasting dietary change and improved public health. Busy lifestyles, rising costs of healthy foods and diminishing cooking skills have led to a growing dependence on convenience foods. Community cooking programmes, along with access to kitchen facilities, resources and funding, may help reverse this trend. Nutritionists and dietitians are well-placed to promote culinary nutrition, although more practical education covering tailored support and cultural competence is needed. Future research should evaluate the impact of nutritionist- and dietitian-led culinary nutrition programmes, which is crucial for improving public health outcomes.
Bartholomew et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: