Healthcare professional in blue scrubs holding a tablet while speaking with a patient resting in a hospital bed, with another person seated nearby and medical room furnishings visible in the background.

The Overlooked Link Between Nutrition and Patient Safety

Patient safety is foundational to quality care, yet nutrition — an essential factor — is often not prioritized. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) help close this gap through clinical nutrition expertise, identifying risks and improving outcomes.

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Why nutrition is a safety risk

Nutrition is a fundamental component of patient safety. When nutrition needs are overlooked, patients face a greater risk of infections, pressure injuries, delayed wound healing, medication-nutrient interactions and other medical complications.¹

Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) play a critical role in reducing these risks through:

  • Screening

    Identifying malnutrition through proper screening and documentation.

  • Communication

    Facilitating interdisciplinary communication  to ensure diet accuracy.

  • Prevention

    Regularly updating food ingredient lists to  identify changes and prevent allergic reactions.

RDN expertise also strengthens communication across care teams, helping nutrition remain an integrated part of every patient's treatment plan.

Preparing RDNs to meet these complex challenges is central to Clinicia™, Sodexo's clinical and patient nutrition brand, where evidence-based nutrition care supports safer, better patient outcomes.

Close up of a packaged food ingredient label showing nutrition information and an ingredients list in English and Spanish, including allergen information highlighted within the text.

The hidden risks in food labeling

The top nine food allergens are required on packaging per labeling laws. However, allergies to herbs, spices and less commonly recognized foods are increasingly being identified as risks to patients.2 One challenge for RDNs is ambiguous ingredient labeling. Manufacturers may change formulations or use vague terms like “natural ingredients,” which can conceal allergens.

 

Sodexo RDNs work diligently to prevent errors such as accidental exposure to food allergens. Sodexo Food and Nutrition teams scrutinize ingredient lists and stay informed about supplier changes to ensure patient safety is never compromised.

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    The hidden risk of malnutrition in patients with food allergies

    Navigating food allergies can quietly escalate the risk of malnutrition. Research shows that individuals with food allergies may consume only 75% of their calorie and protein needs, often because they are unsure which options are safe or fear accidental exposure.3 

    RDNs play a critical role in bridging this divide through medical nutrition therapy, ensuring meals are both safe and nutritionally adequate, reducing the complications of under‑consumption.

    Strategies for safer clinical nutrition practice

    RDNs are essential to advancing patient safety by integrating nutrition into clinical workflows and institutional protocols. RDNs actively lead and collaborate across disciplines to ensure nutrition safety is embedded in the organization through five strategies.

    Healthcare worker in blue scrubs placing a covered meal tray on a bedside table for a patient in a hospital room, with medical furnishings and care equipment visible nearby.

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    These strategies not only reduce harm but also improve operational efficiency and regulatory compliance. By embedding nutrition into patient safety infrastructure, RDNs help prevent adverse events, improve clinical outcomes and elevate the standard of care across healthcare systems.

    While food may bring comfort, it also carries risk. Nutrition must be treated as a core component of patient safety. Clinicia invests in strong clinical nutrition protocols and empowers RDNs to protect patients, improve outcomes and uphold the highest standards of care for healthcare organizations.

    Close the nutrition gap in your safety plan

    Clinicia™ supports hospitals with evidence-based nutrition practices, technology-enabled workflows and training that protect patients and elevate care quality.

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    Sources

    1. Cass AR, Charlton KE. Prevalence of hospital-acquired malnutrition and modifiable determinants of nutritional deterioration during inpatient admissions: A systematic review of the evidence. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2022;35(6):1043-1058. doi:10.1111/jhn.13009
    2. Can Spices Cause Allergic Reactions? American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). Published September 12, 2024. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/can-spices-cause-allergic-reactions
    3. Rattray M, Desbrow B, Roberts S. Comparing nutritional requirements, provision and intakes among patients prescribed therapeutic diets in hospital: An observational study. Nutrition. 2017;39-40:50-56. doi:10.1016/j.nut.2017.03.006