Self-test: Is the "Diet cook with a federal certificate" course the right one for me?

What does the day-to-day work of a diet cook with a federal certificate look like?

As a diet cook with a federal certificate, you plan and compile individual diet plans. This responsible role involves following the instructions of doctors and dieticians. To do this, chefs use their specialist knowledge of food, the techniques they have learned, familiar technologies and their culinary skills. The planning and preparation of varied meals takes place in hospitals, clinics, sports centers and various institutions. This means that a dietary chef can directly help people with corresponding support needs. Depending on the place of work, however, the work can vary greatly - especially when working in elite sports clubs or hotels, where customer contact is usually more important.

The following areas of work are typical for diet cooks with a federal certificate:

• Preparation work (usually according to a doctor's prescription or instructions from a nutritionist)
  • Planning and compiling meal and diet plans for various nutritional therapies (e.g. diabetes, eating disorders, circulatory diseases or food allergies)
  • Calculation of nutritional value tables for a balanced diet
  • Customization of recipes
  • Situational use of suitable and cost-effective cooking and preparation methods
  • Preparation of meals and dietary foods
• Organizational and administrative tasks for the production of diet meals
  • Calculate goods, labor and costs
  • Designing a cost-effective and efficient manufacturing process
  • Know trends and scientific findings in dietetics and healthy nutrition and discuss them as a team
  • Provide competent and empathetic dietary advice (focus on customers' wishes, involve family members)
• Maintenance and cleaning activities as a diet cook
  • Thorough cleaning of tools and work surfaces
  • Compliance with quality and hygiene requirements

Target group and skills: Who is the diet cook training and professional examination suitable for? What qualities and skills are required?

The diet cook training for the federal certificate is aimed at the following people:

• Trained chefs with a desire to specialize at higher vocational training level
• Professionals with the will to develop professionally, e.g. through significantly more demanding tasks or a middle management function
• Professionals who want to expand their specialist knowledge and pass it on to others, such as apprentices

The following skills and characteristics are required for a successful job as a diet cook:

• Interest in cooking and food
• Ability to work under pressure, quick comprehension, ability to work in a team
• Flexibility and willingness to work irregular hours
• Meticulous, correct and reliable way of working
• Organizational talent
• Empathy and ability to work in a team
• Good sense of smell and taste
• A sense of hygiene and responsibility
• Creativity
• Commercial skills and perseverance
• Foreign language skills
• Resilient constitution

Requirements for admission to the professional examination in dietetics:

The following prerequisites are required for admission to the final examination (federal professional examination) as a dietary cook:

• Federal certificate of proficiency (EFZ) as a cook or equivalent qualification

and

• At least two years of relevant professional experience with a degree of employment of 100% by the closing date for registration for the final examination

and

• the required module qualifications or certificates of equivalence for Module 1 "Needs-based forms of nutrition" and Module 2 "Business organization"

The individual modules are completed as compulsory modules in the preparatory courses for the professional examination. The module certificates are valid for five years. You will be informed in writing at least four months before the start of the examination whether you meet the requirements for the professional dietetics examination.

Subject matter and content of the further training for dietary cooks:

The subject matter of the preparatory courses for the professional examination for the specialist certificate as a dietary chef is based on the specifications of the sponsor of the federal examination, theHotel and gastronomy formation.

The learning content of the further training for dietary cooks is divided into the following topics (depending on the training provider) and two compulsory modules:

• Introduction and dietetics basics
• Theory
  • Module 1: Needs-based forms of nutrition
    • Nutrient requirements
    • Nutritional value calculations for dietary dishes and recipes
    • Calculation and design of dietary dishes
    • Meal plans for different diets
    • Nutritional support
  • Module 2: Company organization
    • Work organization in the diet kitchen
    • Laws and regulations for the dietary cuisine sector
    • Performance recording and economic efficiency
    • Communication and collaboration
  • Practice
    • Consistency-defined nutrition / nutrition for postoperative reconstruction
    • Nutrition for diabetes
    • Sodium & potassium defined diet
    • Nutrition for gluten intolerance / protein-defined nutrition / allergen management
  • Exam preparation and practical test runs:
    • Assessment of your practical skills and theoretical fitness in the specific course topic
    • Demonstrate the correct practical / dietary implementation of the tasks of the examination program
    • Planning and organization of the individual parts of the exam
    • Developing, improving and implementing recipes, including calculations and necessary dietary derivations
    • Practical implementation of the revised program with corresponding documentation
    • Feedback from the course leader with practical implementation tips
    • Expand your professional skills by synthesizing the newly acquired theoretical content into practice

Costs and financing of diet cook courses:

Depending on the provider and duration, the diet cook training costs vary. On average, you can expect these amounts for the training costs:

• Course fees:about CHF 6'600.- to CHF 12'950.-
  After taking the exam, you will receive around 50% of this back from the federal government on application (regardless of the result)*.
  For each participant whose company - in which he/she works at the time of registration - is subject to the L-GAV in the hospitality industry, the costs for the final examination are covered by the L-GAV. This does not apply to meals, accommodation, practical preparation courses and any exam repetitions, which are borne by the candidates.
• Examination fees:CHF 2,000 (as of 2023, plus CHF 320 for both module examinations)
  The examination fee is set by the body responsible for the professional examination. It is paid by the candidate after confirmation of admission to the dietitian chef examination.
• Extra costs:At some schools, the costs for enrolment fees, teaching materials, training documents, books, intensive exam training, simulation exams, school diplomas and intermediate diplomas are not included in the course fees. Please contact the provider of your choice directly to find out what additional costs you can expect for training to become a diet cook.

*Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal professional examinations such as dietary chef training have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% (max. CHF 9,500) of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination. In cases of hardship, the federal contributions are also pre-financed in exceptional cases.

Duration of study, number of teaching hours and learning effort for training as a dietetically trained chef:

• The dietetically trained chef training, further training is modular in structure (i.e. some of the skills are assessed in module examinations before the professional examination and are only tested across modules in the final examination) and lasts 2 semesters while working. The training to become a dietary cook comprises around 40 teaching days.
• The teaching times vary depending on the provider of the dietetics course. Classroom teaching usually takes place on one school day (occasionally two school days) per week - alternatively in six block weeks. Practical preparation courses and passerelles then take place on the following 5 or 10 days.
• Thanks to the extra-occupational concept of training as a diet cook, you can apply and deepen the learning material in practice straight away. Nevertheless, sufficient time should be allowed for lesson preparation and follow-up as well as for self-study. Depending on your previous knowledge, working style and learning speed, we recommend that you allow the same amount of time for the additional workload as the regular teaching time.

Note: Some schools offer so-called "taster lessons", which provide an insight into the lessons and the learning atmosphere. A suitable learning environment is important on the way to successful completion of the dietary cook course.

Degree, diploma and title:

The professional examination "Dietary cook with federal certificate" is held annually in German, French and Italian, provided that the minimum number of twenty candidates meet the admission requirements, otherwise every two years.

Candidates for the professional examination in dietetic cookery are notified at least 40 days before the start of the examination. The invitation includes the examination program (with details of the place and time of the examination as well as permitted aids) and the list of experts.

The professional examination for dietary cooks comprises the following four parts:

• Cooking of dietary dishes incl. AVOR (practical, 390 minutes, weighting 3) to test the mastery of all cooking techniques, implementation of balanced nutrition incl. quantity and energy value calculation:
  • Implementing needs-based diets (HKB A)
  • Cooking dietary dishes (HKB B)
  • Organizing operational processes (HKB C)
• Demand-oriented forms of nutrition, business organization, communication (written, 150 minutes, weighting 1) to determine knowledge and skills:
  • Implementing needs-based diets (HKB A)
  • Organizing operational processes (HKB C)
• Demand-oriented forms of nutrition, business organization, communication (oral, 30 minutes, weighting 1) to determine customer needs and develop and explain proposed solutions:
  • Implementing needs-based diets (HKB A)
  • Organizing operational processes (HKB C)
• Practical work (weighting 1) based on a situation from your own professional practice:
  • Written practical work (prepared in advance) for work organization and structure as well as adaptability
  • Presentation (oral, 10 minutes)
  • Expert discussion (oral, 20 minutes) - the team of experts asks in-depth and further questions based on the content presented in the practical work and the presentation

Diploma and title

Graduates of the professional examination receive a federal certificate and are entitled to use the federally recognized and protected title "Dietitian with a federal certificate" or "Dietitian with a federal certificate".

• In French: "Cuisinière / Cuisinier en diététique avec brevet fédéral"
• In Italian: "Cuoca / Cuoco in dietetica con attestato professionale federale"
• In English: "Specialist in Professional Diet Kitchen, Federal Diploma of Higher Education" (Attention: This is only a recommendation/translation and not a protected title)