The British Dietetic Association, established in 1936, is the professional association for dietitians. Its aims are to:

Our Patron

In 1983 Her Majesty the Queen honoured the Association by graciously accepting an invitation to grant her Patronage to The British Dietetic Association.

Our President

Dietitians have always cultivated links with other professions and have invited luminaries in other, linked, fields to become Honorary Associates of the Association.  In 1964, Council agreed that the Association would benefit from having an Honorary President. Since 1989, our President has been Professor Dame Barbara Clayton. Barbara Clayton is Honorary Research Professor in Metabolism in Southampton University's School of Medicine. Amongst a catalogue of national and international awards, appointments and honours she is Honorary President of the British Nutrition Foundation, Chairman of the Medical/Scientific Panel of the Leukaemia Research Fund, Past President of the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection and now Vice-President of the Caroline Walker Trust, Past President of the Royal College of Pathologists from 1984 to 1987, appointed by the Secretary of State for Health to the Standing Committee on Postgraduate Education for Doctors, awarded the British Medical Association's gold medal for distinguished merit, an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Biology and Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Dame Barbara has been at the forefront of pioneering the roles of women within medicine and has been an international voice on the importance of diet and nutrition.

The Association

The Association aims to: inform, protect, represent, and support its 5000+ members. Most are qualified dietitians holding a degree or postgraduate diploma recognised for Registration by the Health Professions Council.