The ICDA SFS Toolkit awarded a total of 12 Nutrition/Dietetic Associations (NDAs) grants from 2022-24. For more information about the grants, see: NDA Sustainability Grants. These are the final set of grants that were awarded in 2024 and finalized in 2025.
🇦🇺 Dietitians Australia (DA)
DA developed information, education and communication materials for the Pathway to Planetary Health (link to article). The process was led by member Kristen MacKenzie-Shalders, along with members of the Dietitians Australia Food and Environment Interest Group and others listed on the website.
They aim to empower D-Ns to undertake pro-environmental change in their personal and professional lives and foster positive behaviour change through evidence-based education, information, and communication strategies. The outputs include a user-friendly, professional PowerPoint slide deck and a 30-minute recorded webinar, with accompanying materials; a workshop; an online participatory webinar; and a case-study summary submitted to the Focus on Health Professional Education Journal.
There are 6️⃣ dimensions that form the positive change process. They all interact & people move within & between each. They are ALL important:
🦈 AGENCY – vision, self-belief, confidence, strength, and responsibility
🐢 ACTION – start, shift, translate, achieve, and commit
✨ ACENSION – build, overcome, manage, challenge, and progress
🐚 ALIGNMENT – leadership, transparency, diplomacy, values, and systems
💐 ALLIANCE & ALLYSHIP – support, collaborate, represent, community, and citizenship
🐠 ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM – disrupt, co-design, transform, empower, and urgency
Click through and look at the amazing artwork by artist Jessie Mordey of Zomered Style (which are much better than the emojis I found!). Jessie is a First Nations woman and likes to create traditional symbolic images that connect strongly with her Torres Strait Islander Heritage. These images represent identity, Torres Strait Heritage, connection to ancestors, cultural storyline, community, and connection to natural elements.
The symbolism for each dimension is her interpretation of the dimension. For example:
🦈 For ACTION, the shark keeps moving forward and can adapt
🐢 The turtle in AGENCY includes stamina and survival with the sun for growth
✨ The stars in ASCENSION act as a compass to guide Islanders home
🐚 The clamshell for ALIGNMENT symbolises direction and connection to self
💐 For ALLIANCE & ALLYSHIP, the flower and plant represent peace, trust, relationship, and communication
🐠 The woven fish is meaningful for strength in bonding and moving together (ADVOCACY & ACTIVISM)
➡️ Access the Paths to Planetary Health Toolkit on the Dietitian Australia’s website.
🇭🇺 Hungarian Dietitians’ National Association (MDOSZ)
MDOSZ adapted key #ICDAsfsToolkit resources to the Hungarian language and culture, overcoming the English barrier faced by over two-thirds of dietitians. With 712 members and outreach to 2,100 professionals via newsletter, plus 32,000 social media followers, MDOSZ has great potential to raise awareness of sustainability in practice. They provided tools and education to academics, clinicians, food service, and public health professionals.
Projects Implemented in Hungary
1 – Sustainability Dictionary (Hungarian version)
The Hungarian version of the sustainability dictionary was completed and supplemented with additional sustainability-related terms. The dictionary has been uploaded to the MDOSZ website. We also translated it back into English to give readers an idea of the adaptations the team made to the original #ICDAsfsToolkit Glossary.
2 – Translation of the Nourish Food Map Flowchart
We successfully obtained the necessary license and completed the translation of the Nourish Food Map flowchart. We would like to express our gratitude to the authors for granting permission.
3 – Creation of the “Daily Menu Cycle” Infographic
Inspired by the Nourish Food Map, we designed and edited an original Daily Menu Cycle that was published in Hungarian in the MDOSZ Nutrition Newsletter. The objective of this material was to assist dietitians in patient education by providing a visual tool for promoting sustainable dietary practices. We also created an English version of the “Daily Menu Cycle.”
Professional Presentations and Educational Activities:
- At the MDOSZ annual general meeting, we delivered a 15-minute presentation attended by approximately 500 dietitian colleagues.
- We held a 60-minute lecture on sustainable nutrition for dietetic students at Semmelweis University.
- As part of practical training, we have introduced the topic of sustainable eating to MATE Tourism MSc students using the self-developed infographic.
- In the 2025/26 academic year, we have been invited to give a presentation on sustainable nutrition to MSc Nutrition students at Széchenyi István University.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the opportunity to participate in this program. It was an honour to collaborate with the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations (ICDA). This period proved to be both valuable and constructive in every respect, as it allowed us to deepen our understanding of sustainability. Through the inspiring work of our colleagues, we became acquainted with excellent projects that motivated us and led to the development of new professional materials.
🇮🇹 Italy: The Scientific Association for Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics (ASAND)
ASAND’s Foodservice Study Group developed the project to:
— promote sustainable nutrition through a participatory approach and the tools of nutritional counseling;
— strengthen the empowerment of citizens (users, parents, teachers);
— activate a network of municipalities interested in renewing the school food service by valuing local experiences and promoting the exchange of best practices; and
— share a toolkit of practical and replicable tools for use by other local municipalities and professionals.
Here we include an overview of the project with a few of the materials that the team developed; visit the ASAND’s Website for all of the materials.
The project worked with school canteens in a network of 11 Italian municipalities in 3 Provinces. The team planned activities in co-design with users, implemented experimental initiatives together, and interacted with the involved municipalities. Following the initial meetings and online discussions, they decided to organise and start the following “challenges”, which are now completed.
1 – Climate-Friendly Menus:
With the selection of local, sustainable, and low CO₂-emission recipes, proposed and discussed within school meal committees. On the experimental menu day “Farmer’s Dish”, among a total of 462 students, the following outcomes were recorded: the “legume soup with pasta” recipe was consumed and appreciated by 81% of the children, while the “Fettunta” was consumed and appreciated by 85%. Overall, food waste remained well below the 30% target threshold.
2 – Educational Workshops:
The activation of a nutritional education path through practical workshops on healthy eating was tailored to the specific needs of each school, engaging students actively with ongoing support from teachers and parents. Designed as a food education tool for primary school children, the initiative involved 93 children and 125 adults (teachers and parents).
3 – Standardized Food Waste Recording System:
We created a poster about our work which highlights the importance of reducing food waste in school canteens through practical preventive and corrective actions. It details the data collection, key findings, and strategies to reduce waste. This poster won the award for best contribution at the spring 2025 national nutrition conference hosted by SINPE (the Italian Society for Artificial Nutrition and Metabolism) and ASAND (the Italian Association of Dietetics and Nutrition).
4 – Dietitian’s Help Desk:
A free listening and consultation service for families and educators, managed by trained dietitian staff. Sessions were held every month from January to May 2025, as detailed in the attached flyer. The help desk addressed nutritional concerns and fostered direct dialogue with families.
For any information on the project:
Ersilia Troiano, ersilia.troiano@asand.it
Gianna Marchi, dietista.marchigianna@gmail.com
🇨🇭Switzerland: Schweizerischer Verband der Ernährungsberater/innen, ‘SVDE’
SVDE co-created a position paper titled “Sustainable food systems and the role of dieticians in Switzerland”. The position paper directs the professional development of Swiss dietitians in terms of sustainable diets from SFS. The position paper is an instrument that serves to communicate ‘internally’ so that dietitians can use it as a guide. Furthermore, it empowers dietitians to position themselves ‘externally’ towards other actors in the field of the food system in terms of strategy, expertise, and politics.
This requires an evidence- and value-based vision and concrete, action-based measures on three levels:
- Positioning Dietitians’ existing professional skills in SFS, opening up new fields of activity and development opportunities for dietitians
- Defining sustainable nutrition and nutritional advice in SFS in the curricula of dietitians, strengthening training and further education on SFS
- Positioning dietitians as an important professional voice in political discussions and decisions on SFS
- 1 – A consultation workshop was held with dietitians at Switzerland’s NDA ‘SVDE’ annual meeting in spring 2025
- 2 – Publication of the reviewed paper, Role of nutrition advice in Switzerland in the sustainable nutrition system (2025), in the SFS Toolkit in the summer of 2025
- 3 – Announcement of the paper as an online document for members of Switzerland’s NDA ‘SVDE
- In German (easily translated into other languages in most browsers): Article on the NEW: Position paper “Role of nutrition advice in Switzerland in the sustainable nutrition system”
- 4 – Distribution to Swiss dietitians in June 2025
- 5 – Report of the process and changes in plans (download PDF in the sidebar)
Contacts:
Gina Tüfer, gina.tuefer@bfh.ch
Sonja Schönberg, sonja.schoenberg@bfh.ch
🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago Association of Nutritionists and Dietitians
The Sustainability Project’s primary objectives were to:
- Enhance knowledge and awareness of sustainable food systems and sustainability in practice among nutrition professionals.
- Stimulate the creation of a think tank of professionals capable of applying sustainability principles to the local context.
Key Outputs
- Educational Webinar Series
- Eleven virtual sessions were delivered over an 8‑month period, guided by the ICDA Sustainable Food Systems Toolkit.
- Participants earned Continuous Development Credits (CDE).
- The series aimed to:
- Address knowledge gaps.
- Highlight the relevance of sustainability and sustainable food systems to nutrition and dietetics.
- Apply these concepts to the local and wider Caribbean context.
- Position Paper
- A small working group spearheaded the development of the TTANDi 2025 Position Paper on Sustainable Food Systems, an initiative that included an in‑depth analysis of the Trinidad and Tobago food system.
- Sustainability Project Completion Celebration
- The event brought together members of the NDA alongside external stakeholders. Its purpose was to provide a comprehensive report on the Sustainability Project and to officially launch the Position Paper. As part of the program, a World Café was convened, creating an open space for dialogue and exploration. This interactive format encouraged participants to identify empowering pathways and inspire collective, positive solutions to the complex challenges facing the local food system.
TTANDi is proud of these achievements and is committed to building on the momentum generated by this project!
For feedback or questions, contact Jessica Carmila John via LinkedIn.
Questions? Ideas? Feedback? Contact: ICDAsfs.coordinator@acadiau.ca
The ICDA SFS Toolkit is made to be used & shared freely.
Please cite the authors of the resources you use, and the ICDA SFS Toolkit if you are able:
InternationalDietetics.org/Sustainability
