Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Revised 2020 Standards of Professional Performance for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Sustainable, Resilient, and Healthy Food and Water Systems.

Current systems of food production and consumption are challenged by factors such as natural resource constraints, relative unaffordability of nutrient-dense foods, persistent social inequities, and high rates of diet-related disease. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) play a critical role in protecting the health of current and future populations by advancing sustainable, resilient, and healthy food and water systems. By definition, such systems can meet current dietary needs without jeopardizing the ability to meet the needs of future generations; can withstand or adapt to disturbances over time; and can equitably facilitate disease prevention and well-being for all individuals. This area of practice within nutrition and dietetics requires recognition of the complex interrelationships among indiviudal health and economic, environmental, and social domains of food and nutrition, and allows RDNs to bring unique expertise to diverse interprofessional teams. The Revised 2020 Standards of Professional Performance for RDNs (Competent, Proficient, and Expert) in Sustainable, Resilient, and Healthy Food and Water Systems update the 2014 standards and cover the following 6 standards of professional performance: Quality in Practice, Competence and Accountability, Provision of Services, Application of Research, Communication and Application of Knowledge, and Utilization and Management of Resources. Within each standard, specific indicators provide measurable action statements that illustrate how the RDN can apply the principles of sustainable food systems to a variety of practice settings. The indicators describe 3 skill levels (ie, competent, proficient, and expert) for RDNs in this focus area.