UKZN Academic Wins Prestigious Nutrition Award

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A leading academic in Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Professor Frederick Veldman, has won the Nestlé Nutrition Institute of Africa Award in the category of overall nutrition.

The award in this category, presented only once every five years, recognises an individual or group whose work over a specific period of time has directly improved the nutritional status of communities or has gone beyond the ordinary call of duty to ‘further the understanding of the science of nutrition’ to health care professionals.

The award is a significant achievement both for Veldman and the Discipline of Dietetics at UKZN’s Pietermaritzburg campus as it acknowledges the work being done across the continent which has its roots in the School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences.

From early on in his career, Veldman has worked to have Nutrition and Dietetics recognised as vital components of professional health care. He was one of the first health professionals to advocate the awareness of nutrition guidelines as part of antiretroviral treatment programmes, both in the private and public industry.

Now, he has also managed to advocate the recognition of the role of dieticians and nutritionists as part of the disaster management team, both on national and international levels, and as such has taken the profession to a new level.

The Dietetics Discipline is making huge strides within the School as it focuses its energy on developing a four-year professional qualification for its students which will be more widely recognised both locally and internationally. Their contribution to producing high quality and employable graduates is key in expanding the reach of the School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UKZN.

-          Christine Cuénod