Within Europe EFAD has adopted, in principle, the International Congress of Dietetic Associations (ICDA) definition of the role of the dietitian;

• A dietitian is a person with a qualification in Nutrition & Dietetics recognized by national authority(s).  The dietitian applies the science of nutrition to the feeding and education of groups of people and individuals in health and disease.
• The scope of dietetic practice is such that dietitians may work in a variety of settings and have a variety of work functions.

Within Europe dietitians find themselves practising in three main areas.  These may be quite distinctive, such as the administrative dietitian in Sweden or more generic such as in the United Kingdom. The European Dietetic Benchmark Statement indicates the three areas of specialization, recognized by EFAD, which can occur and are within the practice of dietetics in Europe.  These are:

Administrative Dietitian: a dietitian who focuses and works primarily within food service management with responsibility for providing nutritionally adequate, quality food to individuals or groups in health and disease in an institution or a community setting.

Clinical Dietitian: a dietitian who has responsibility for planning, education, supervision and evaluation of a clinically devised eating plan to restore the client/patient to functional nutritional health.  Clinical dietitians can work in primary care as well as in institutions.

Public Health or Community Dietitian: a dietitian directly involved in health promotion and policy formulation that leads to the promotion food choice amongst individuals and groups to improve or maintain their nutritional health and minimizes risk from nutritionally derived illness.