Dear Colleagues,

As fellow Registered Dietitians, we wanted to share some exciting news: the Delaware Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is beginning work to modernize Delaware’s licensing act to better reflect the realities of today’s nutrition and dietetics practice.

With support from policy and advocacy staff at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, we are exploring updates that will strengthen professional standards, increase access to care, and ensure the licensure law reflects current qualifications, scope of practice, and care delivery models.

This effort is being driven by the need to modernize our existing law and address concerns we’ve heard from members—including ambiguity around scope, outdated educational references, barriers to practice in clinical settings, and licensure standards that do not appropriately identify all qualified providers. We also see an opportunity to align our state’s law with federal rules that permit qualified practitioners to order therapeutic diets, and to clarify the role of licensed providers in delivering medical nutrition therapy (MNT).

We are still in the early stages of this work, and there will be many opportunities for you to get involved, ask questions, and help shape what comes next. We know that conversations about licensure—especially around scope of practice and the licensing of nutritionists—can raise important and sometimes difficult questions. Please know that we are committed to a transparent, member-informed process that protects the integrity of the RD credential while supporting safe, effective nutrition care across Delaware.

We look forward to sharing more details as this work progresses. In the meantime, if you have questions, ideas, or would like to be more involved in the licensure modernization effort, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,
Julia Perkins Fox, MS, RDN, LDN
Immediate Past President, 2025-26
Delaware Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics