Fitting Sustainable Food Systems Into Dietetic Internships—A Growing Trend

Relationships between food systems, human health, and the environment are well recognized. We studied the extent to which dietetic internship programs teach sustainable food systems through experiential learning and barriers preventing this. In a survey of 237 dietetic internship program directors, one half (49.5%) of 89 respondents incorporated program activities related to sustainable food systems or planned to do so; another 43% reported interest but lacked time and resources. Program examples using learning experiences related to sustainable food systems demonstrate ways to contribute to accreditation requirements. Wider use of resources to train future practitioners could improve confidence and competence in this professional growth area.