A nonprofit church-related professional organization organized in 1954 whose active membership is composed largely of registered dietitians and nutritionists. Other Seventh-day Adventists who have suitable academic training in the field of nutrition and/or home economics and who have successful experience teaching food and nutrition on the college level, or who have administered in food service, are eligible for associate membership. The government of the association is invested in an executive board and a house of delegates. Much of the work is done by appointed committees under the guidance of the executive board. Headquarters are at Loma Linda, California, where printed materials produced by the association are available.
General meetings of the organization are held yearly in conjunction with the national meeting of the American Dietetic Association, or at such other time and place as determined by the executive board. The general purpose of the association is to assist its members in enhancing their professional contribution as leaders in food administration, clinical dietetics, and nutrition education in church-related medical and educational institutions.
An equally important objective is to make more effective the participation of its members in the health ministry of the church. To this end, its members interact with other health professionals and ministers to teach the nutrition principles and practices of the church as set forth in the writings of Ellen White, as well as to integrate up-to-date scientific nutritional findings into the evangelizing efforts of the church. The association is not only involved in the preparation of nutrition education materials for churches, institutions, and community health programs, but it makes its services available for reviewing manuscripts prepared by others, with the objective of maintaining high scientific standards in all nutrition materials published by the church.