Career prospects
Nutritionist with expertise in research, development and management of health foods and supplements
Functions The professional profile is solidly centred on the skills the graduate will acquire in assessing the state of nutrition, dietary planning and promoting healthy lifestyles starting from the needs of the individual in different physiological situations and under special conditions that require knowledge and skills to develop and make the best use of functional foods, special foods and nutraceuticals. The approach of the trained nutritionist will be complementary to that of other figures centred on clinical nutrition (medical specialist, dietician), with whom he/she will have to have the ability to interact to develop and propose additional and improved products and services.
Competences -the development, formulation and correct use of food products with a high nutritional impact (functional foods, foods and supplements intended for particular nutritional uses and foods for special medical purposes); - basic research in the various fields of human nutrition; - applied research and demonstration of the health effects exerted by components (foods, nutrients and non-nutrients) in the diet (health claims) - the assessment of the nutritional quality, safety and suitability for consumption of foods and food supplements; - the participation in food surveys for the assessment of dietary exposure to foods, ingredients and food supplements for nutritional surveillance and nutrivigilance - the design and management of institutional and/or corporate communication on the relationship between diet and health.
Outlets With reference to the activities classified by ISTAT, the employment outlets concern professional, freelance and entrepreneurial activities in the life sciences (2.3.1.1 - Biologists and related professions). Admission to the profession of biologist requires registration with the Order of Biologists after passing the state examination. In particular, the graduate's occupational outlets include:
- food and chemical-pharmaceutical companies, with research, production, control, marketing, nutrivigilance, and regulatory tasks; - health food outlets, including pharmacies and large-scale organised distribution; - public and private food control and analysis bodies; - mass catering and community dietetic companies; - consultancy, training and dissemination in the field of human nutrition.
A further employment outlet is connected with the registration of the Second-cycle degree graduate with the Order of Biologists and professional qualification in the assessment of the state of nutrition and nutritional needs of humans and the development and determination of optimal diets.