INTRODUCTION:

In Portugal, to this day, the role of the Nutritionist in Portuguese Commercial Restaurants remains an underexploited subject, which lacks a clear purpose.

OBJECTIVES:

Knowing in which ways can the Nutritionist intervene in the Portuguese Commercial Restaurants activities.

METHODOLOGY:

The online Delphi method was applied, whose experts’ panel contained Nutritionists and Chefs. On the first round, personal data was collected, and an open question was presented about the Nutritionist’s role(s) in Portuguese Commercial Restaurants. On the second round, a questionnaire was applied using closed answers about specific acting measures of the Nutritionist in Portuguese Commercial Restaurants, identified in the previous round.

RESULTS:

14 acting measures of the Nutritionist in Portuguese Commercial Restaurants were consensually identified and grouped in 8 categories: “Nutritional Valorization and Allergens”, “Menu Building with Healthy Options”, “Consumer Food Education”, “Food Safety, Normative and Legal Compliance and Audits”, “Operational Management”, “Personnel Management”, “Marketing and Communication” and “Business Profitability”.

CONCLUSIONS:

These healthcare professionals can broadly intervene in the Portuguese Commercial Restaurants activities, according to the Chefs and Nutritionists point of view.

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