The lack of legal protection of the nutritionist title in Ireland and absence of an Irish accreditation body has led to many challenges for Nutritionists. Self-proclaimed nutritionists without honours level accredited nutrition education and training offering non-evidence-based advice have given rise to many difficulties for qualified professionals in recent years. Many Irish nutritionists with honours degrees in nutrition education and training register with the UK Voluntary Nutrition Register held by the Association for Nutrition (AfN). However, many nutrition employers in Ireland are not aware of this accreditation process and the benefits in adopting it as a job requirement (1) . The objective of this study was to explore and understand the challenges faced by qualified Nutritionists in Ireland. In-depth, semi-structured, audio-recorded interviews were conducted with 18 participants who had advertised themselves as a "Nutritionist" on their LinkedIn profiles and were currently working in Ireland. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was implemented whereby the data was transcribed, coded, and emerging themes identified and discussed by all authors. Public perception', 'employment opportunities', 'title protection', and 'comparison to the dietetic profession' emerged as the four main themes underpinning the challenges faced by nutritionists in Ireland. This study highlights that many nutrition professionals in Ireland feel disheartened and undervalued in today's society. The lack of title protection and a shared understanding of the term Nutritionist were seen as contributing factors to the current public confusion surrounding the profession. It was clear many participants believe the dietetic profession is superior to the nutrition profession with frequent comparisons highlighting the advantages of dietetics as a career. Advantages mentioned by participants included legal protection, professional regulation and a clearer career pathway. The diverse employment opportunities for Nutritionists in Ireland were coined "a blessing and a curse". Frustration was also expressed about the sparse nutrition-specific employment opportunities, short-term contracts, and increased job competition with dietetics and self-proclaimed nutritionists. Social media was also mentioned by many as a significant contributor to the challenges they had faced as Nutritionists.Societies' desire for instant gratification and quick fixes, often leading to potentially harmful diet practices, has left the public vulnerable to unqualified individuals with influence on online platforms offering nutrition advice that is not supported by scientific evidence. One in three participants mentioned this as a significant challenge toward building credibility within the public who are unable to differentiate between qualified nutritionists and an unqualified one. The results of this study clearly show that qualified Nutrition professionals in Ireland are calling out for protection of the title to ease this burden. Protection and regulation of the Nutri...

Undergraduate nutrition education and training programmes are evaluated regularly to ensure graduates are developing the knowledge and skills needed to be a nutrition professional. Current nutrition education in Ireland prepares nutrition graduates for a wide range of employment opportunities (1) . However, the labour market has seen many changes over the last decade to meet the evolving needs of economy and society in this digital era (2) . Little is known about how employers perceive current nutrition education practices in Ireland and how well this prepares graduates for the realities of today's workforce. The objective of this study was to explore employers' perspectives of nutrition graduate preparedness for the workforce and current nutrition education and training in Ireland. In depth semi-structured audio-recorded interviews were conducted with 12 nutrition employers across Ireland and the UK who currently employ, or have recently employed, Irish nutrition graduates. This study was grounded in interpretivism whereby researchers sought to co-construct meaning of experiences between themselves and the research participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and a reflexive thematic analysis approach was implemented whereby the data was transcribed, coded, and emerging themes identified and discussed by all authors. 'Employers' expectations of nutrition graduates' and 'identified gaps in current nutrition education and training' were the two main themes emerging from the analysis. Nutrition employers agreed that nutrition graduates are well prepared overall to meet workforce expectations and role responsibilities in recent years. Within employers' perceptions of Irish nutrition graduates, subthemes included previous experience with graduates, graduate expectations and graduate characteristics. Many employers felt nutrition graduates had received quality education with graduate knowledge, skills and attitudes meeting expectations. From an employers' perspective, nutrition graduates are adaptable, willing to learn and professional. Nutrition graduates are often a valuable asset to a team but can lack confidence in their knowledge and ability. Differences between nutrition courses proved to be a challenge in the comparison of graduate preparedness with the desire for an increase in standardisation. Employers remarked that graduates who had undergone placements/work-integrated learning were better prepared for a professional work environment. However, some gaps were identified by participants as employers felt nutrition curricula are lacking training in areas such as business skills and digital competencies. Subthemes included the addition of business knowledge and digital literacy to nutrition curricula, both contributing to integral aspects of many roles in which nutrition graduates are employed. Their addition to nutrition curricula would create a great advantage for nutrition graduates entering the workforce in helping to meet modern day labour market needs. Overall, the twelve employers agreed that curr...