HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a nutritionist in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

'Nutritionist' is not protected in any UK nation; 'dietitian' is. Here is how to tell them apart and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a nutritionist in five steps

  1. Know the two titlesNutritionist: no register. Dietitian: HCPC Register, protected by law.
  2. For a medical condition, see a dietitian or your GPDiabetes, coeliac disease, eating disorders, kidney disease.
  3. Ask about trainingThe qualification, who awarded it and any voluntary register.
  4. Ask what the fee includesA plan, follow-ups, messages — and whether tests are extra.
  5. Be wary of sellingSupplements and tests sold with every plan are a warning sign.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No statutory register or licence applies to nutritionists in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected. Some nutritionists join accredited voluntary registers; that is voluntary, not statutory regulation. Nutritional therapist and diet coach are unprotected in the same way.

Ask the nutritionist which qualification they hold, who awarded it, and whether they are on a voluntary register you can search.

Protected health titles

'Dietitian' and 'dietician' are protected: only someone on the HCPC Register may use them, and using one without registration is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001. A nutritionist who uses one of them must be on the Register.

If one of those titles appears on the profile, search it on the HCPC Register. hcpc-uk.org →

Insurance

With no register setting the rules, nothing obliges a nutritionist to hold insurance, so ask. Professional indemnity insurance covers harm from the treatment; public liability covers accidents.

Ask the nutritionist for the insurer's name and policy dates.

Trader status and cancellation

A nutritionist in business is a trader, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 duty of reasonable care and skill applies. A course booked online or by phone can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for it to start sooner, you pay for what you used.

Read the cancellation terms before booking and keep the confirmation.

VAT

Nutrition advice is standard-rated at 20%: nutritionists are not on a statutory register, so the health exemption does not apply. A nutritionist over £90,000 must charge VAT and show it as its own line; one under it charges none.

Ask whether VAT is included in the consultation fee, and for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“Are you a nutritionist or a registered dietitian?”

A good answer: A straight answer — and an HCPC number if they say dietitian.

“What nutrition qualification do you hold?”

A good answer: A named degree or course, and any voluntary register.

“Can you help with my condition, or should I see a dietitian?”

A good answer: An honest referral for medical conditions.

“Do you recommend tests or supplements, and do you sell them?”

A good answer: Only with evidence, and any sales interest declared.

“What will the nutrition plan look like?”

A good answer: Practical food changes, not a list of products.

“How many follow-ups, and what do they cost?”

A good answer: An estimate and a price.

“Will you share the plan with my GP?”

A good answer: Yes, with your consent.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the nutritionist you booked or a colleague, employed or subcontracted
  • Consultation and follow-up fees
  • Tests and supplements priced separately, and whether the nutritionist profits from them
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on its own line — the health exemption needs a statutory register
  • What the plan includes
  • Online or in person
  • Cancellation terms for a package

Walk away if

  • Calls themselves a dietitian without HCPC registration
  • Sells supplements or tests with every plan
  • Promises rapid weight loss or a cure
  • Advises stopping medicines
  • Food intolerance tests with no clinical basis
  • No questions about your health first
LOW
£35
TYPICAL
£65
HIGH
£100

What a nutritionist costs: £35–£100 per session

Nutritionists charge per session, with a longer first consultation; tests and supplements are priced separately. Nutritionist price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Nutritionists near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. QuestionnaireDiet, lifestyle, sleep and goals.
  2. ConsultationA detailed session on eating and health.
  3. PlanPractical food changes.
  4. Follow-upReviews to adjust.
  5. Referral where neededTo a dietitian or GP for medical issues.

Dietitian
An HCPC-protected title for clinical diet advice.
Nutritionist
An unprotected title.
Food diary
A record of what you eat.
Macronutrients
Protein, fat and carbohydrate.
Supplement
A product such as a vitamin — never essential to a plan.
Voluntary register
A register a nutritionist chooses to join.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the planAnd a note of any tests and their results.
Tell your GPEspecially if you have a medical condition.
Review progressAgainst the goal you agreed.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked nutritionist can be reviewed on Locufy, so your words carry weight. If the nutritionist got something wrong, use the make-it-right step first.

STEP 1Complain to the nutritionist directlyWrite down the date, the problem and your remedy. A nutritionist who sells the advice is held to reasonable care and skill by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and section 54 lets you insist it is put right without charge, or pay a reduced price.
STEP 2Try the make-it-right stepUnder four stars for a booked nutritionist, Locufy asks whether to pass it to them first; we follow it through before the review goes up.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator covers a nutritionist. If the nutritionist will not engage, refer it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims as the last stepWhere the nutritionist still refuses, the small claims routes run to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no solicitor needed.

Hiring a nutritionist: questions people ask

'Dietitian' is protected and needs HCPC registration in every UK nation; 'nutritionist' is not protected and has no statutory register.

Ask for the qualification and awarding body and any voluntary register, and check with them.

For a condition needing clinical treatment, see a registered dietitian or your GP.

£35 to £100 a session, typically around £65. First sessions cost more than follow-ups; tests are extra. For the detail, open the nutritionist price guide; for real quotes, put your town in the search above.

At 20% if the nutritionist is VAT-registered; the health exemption needs a statutory register.

Stop, see your GP, and tell the nutritionist in writing; one in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: DietitianHow to hire: Wellness CoachHow to hire: Personal TrainerHow to hire: Holistic TherapistHow to hire: HomeopathHow to hire: Mobile Personal TrainerHow to hire: Strength & Conditioning CoachHow to hire: Fitness InstructorAll 701 hiring guides →

Nutritionists near you

Nutritionists in LondonNutritionists in ManchesterNutritionists in BirminghamNutritionists in GlasgowNutritionists in BelfastAll nutritionists on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — check the Register
  3. HCPC — misuse of title
  4. gov.uk — Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57)
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  6. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.5 Services that are not exempt from VAT (taxable at the standard rate)
  10. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  11. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register