Nutrition professionals, such as dietitians and nutrition scientists, are increasingly called upon to address complex food systems challenges, yet their potential roles in food systems transformation and the capabilities required to fulfil them remain underexplored. Determining future research and development priorities in this emerging area also requires approaches that can identify meaningful opportunities before committing limited resources. This study aimed to explore how nutrition professionals’ existing competencies could contribute to food systems transformation, including transitions towards circular food systems, and to demonstrate the value of structured, interdisciplinary research-team reflection as a low-cost approach for identifying knowledge gaps and informing future research and development priorities.
The study built upon qualitative research conducted in the Bega Valley region of Australia, where University of Wollongong researchers interviewed small-scale agrifood producers to identify barriers and enablers to circular supply chains (1). Findings from this research informed a structured reflection undertaken by the interdisciplinary research team using Borton’s ‘What? So What? Now What?’ framework (2). Written reflections were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (3,4) to identify themes relating to nutrition professionals’ potential contributions and priorities for future action.
Seven of the 10 original research team members participated, comprising three dietitians, two engineers with circular economy expertise, one supply chain expert and one food systems doctoral researcher. Reflections highlighted nutrition professionals’ existing strengths in communication, critical thinking, evidence-based practice, empathy and advocacy, alongside their capacity to engage diverse stakeholders and navigate complexity. However, systems thinking capabilities and greater opportunities for cross-sector engagement were identified as important for enabling nutrition professionals to move beyond participating in food systems initiatives towards actively shaping system structures, priorities and outcomes. Professional and peak-body advocacy was also identified as necessary to strategically position nutrition professionals for emerging sustainable food system and policy roles. Importantly, drawing on perspectives beyond the dietetics and nutrition science professions revealed opportunities and capability needs that may be less apparent through profession-specific enquiry alone and generated actionable directions for subsequent research.
In conclusion, nutrition professionals, notably dietitians and nutrition scientists, have transferable competencies that position them to act as connectors, brokers and change agents within food systems, but targeted systems thinking capabilities and cross-sector engagement are needed to realise this potential. More broadly, this study demonstrates how structured reflection across disciplinary perspectives can provide a pragmatic, low-cost mechanism for interrogating assumptions, defining relevant problems and prioritising next steps before investing in further research and development. Such approaches may be particularly valuable in resource-constrained research environments where early identification of meaningful and actionable research priorities is critical.