Is it my imagination, or is Michigan at the center of all this country’s food-related controversies? First it was raw milk. Then it was the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). Now it’s the licensing of dieticians and nutritionists, and the designation of the Michigan Dietetic Association (an affiliate of the American Dietetic Association) as the arbiter of good nutrition in the state.
I’ve just completed a column for BusinessWeek.com on a new Michigan law taking effect this July 1 requiring registration of all dieticians and nutritionists in the state, and the far-reaching implications of this legislation. The implications really are far-reaching–far more than most of us fully appreciate.
Essentially, the new law, pushed by the MDA for 30 years, requires that everyone in Michigan who dispenses nutrition-diet advice be trained and tested under American Dietetic Association guidelines in order to be licensed by the state. If you want to get a sense of the MDA’s orientation, just look at the sponsors of its recent annual conference: the United Dairy Industry of Michigan (which I don’t recall speaking up in favor of raw-milk farmers), Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and General Mills, among others.
That means people like Sheryl Shenefelt, a certified nutritionist in Birmingham, MI, and committed to holistic approaches like that of the Weston A. Price Foundation are left out. She trained for two-and-a-half years in a Colorado nutrition program, and works with a physician and other healthcare providers as a dietician and nutritionist. "Not being able to call myself a nutritionist could hinder how I’m going to be able to promote myself to patients and doctors," she says. "I’m disturbed. I’ve been studying for many years."
Actually, this kind of thing happens in a lot of states. Some 46 states now have some kind of regulation affecting dieticians and nutritionists. The most onerous approach, though, is licensing, which establishes criteria that may be controversial because of contradictory research and varying viewpoints. Only those individuals who subscribe to the approach of an organization like the ADA are allowed to be licensed. Those who don’t agree can’t call themselves nutritionists or dieticians, under penalty of fines. Something in excess of 25 states require licensing; others require less restrictive certification or registration, which doesn’t prohibit non-certified or non-registered individuals from practicing their profession.
As I point out in my BusinessWeek.com column, the licensing approach to limiting competition works under the radar for most consumers, so they don’t fully appreciate the serious consequences of having professionals with a restricted viewpoint. With nutrition and diet issues being debated much more widely than ever before, this kind of state-sponsored endorsement will no doubt come under increasing scrutiny. Moreover, look for it to come up for other professionals like naturopaths and massage therapists as well.
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