How to become a nutritionist

If you know your antioxidants from your additives, or your macros from your micros, you might be thinking about starting a nutrition business.

Whether you’re an expert health coach or a meal prep pro, starting a business could be the perfect way to turn your nutrition knowledge into income.

But before you get started there’s a lot to consider. We’ll take you through everything you need to know to start a thriving business in this detailed guide – from legalities and logistics to branding and budgeting.

Should you start a nutrition business now?

The health and wellness industry is booming, with the specialised nutrition market expected to grow by at least 6.3% between 2025 and 2030. It’s a great time to get in on the action.

Whether it’s personalised meal plans, plant-based nutrition, or gut health supplements, there’s a huge demand for expert guidance – and consumers are willing to put their money where their mouth is to pay for their health.

There are also new wellness trends, such as fermented foods, sea moss and a focus on brain-boosting ingredients, popping up on a regular basis, meaning you’re bound to find one that aligns with your own skills and passion.

But, like with any industry, getting into the health and wellness space doesn’t come without its hurdles. Regulations around nutrition can be complex, it’s a heavily regulated industry, and you’ll need to make sure you meet the necessary requirements around the Food Safety Act and UK nutrition laws.

Competition is also fierce, you won’t be the only nutrition business out there, but with the right branding and business plan (more on that later), you can stand out from the crowd and make your nutrition business a success.

How to start a nutrition business in 5 steps

If you’re ready to start a nutrition business then this step-by-step will help you get your idea off the ground.

1. Create a business plan

To get started with any business you need to create a business plan.

This is a strategic document that outlines every aspect of your business, including your niche, target audience, budgets, projections, and funding sources. This will be your guide as you build your startup. As well, it’s a great resource to showcase your business in detail to potential investors.

One of the most important decisions you’ll make within your business plan is your niche. You’ll need to use your own skills and knowledge to inform what type of nutrition business you want to run.

Some ideas of nutrition business niches are:

• Personalised nutrition plans for specific groups, such as athletes, runners, or pregnant women
• Healthy eating workshops for businesses
• Family meal planning/cooking classes
• Vegan meal delivery service 
• Supplements for specific groups, such as post-natal women or marathon runners

Your business plan should also detail how you intend to finance your nutrition business, which can come from personal savings, loans, small business grants, or crowdfunding.

2. Handle the legal stuff

When starting a nutrition business, you’ll need to comply with various legal regulations.

It’s a good idea to get ahead and handle the legal stuff at the start so you know you’re fully compliant, and won’t get any nasty surprises – such as fines or even an order to shut down your business – further down the line.

To make sure your nutrition business is legally compliant, you’ll need to:

• Register your business and decide whether to operate as a sole trader or a limited company
• Make sure you have the correct certifications and qualifications. If you plan to offer meal plans, you should have a nutrition degree and be registered with the UKVRN (UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists)
• Take out public liability insurance (public liability insurance covers you if a member of the public is injured as a result of your business operations)
• Understand food labelling laws – and if you plan to prepare and/or sell food, you’ll need a food standards and hygiene certificate
• Ensure you are GDPR compliant with any customer data you collect

3. Find your suppliers

The next step is to source or create the products or services you wish to sell through your nutrition business.

How you go about this will depend on the business model that you choose. For example, if you’re offering a digital product or service, such as meal plans or online consultations, you’ll need to choose a software use and the branding style of your business.

For those who want to sell physical products, this step will likely take a little longer. You’ll need to build a strong supplier network in order to source your products (or the ingredients and tools you need to create them yourself).

When choosing a supplier make sure to answer these questions:

• Do they meet all of the relevant health and safety standards? Familiarise yourself with the UK Food Standards Agency regulations to be sure.
• Can they handle large bulk orders – and is there potential to scale as your business grows?
• Are they cost-effective without sacrificing quality?
• Do they offer a sustainable solution to sourcing and creating the relevant items?
• Can they provide third-party testing and results?

4. Build an online presence

In today’s digital world, one of the best ways to grow a business is to build an online presence.

Leveraging digital platforms is a great way to attract clients, build credibility and trust, and ultimately grow and scale your business.

Some of the key ways you can build an online presence for your nutrition business are:

• Build a professional website – it should be mobile-optimised and include all of the information a customer needs about your business. Add ecommerce functionality to sell your products online, and remember to add detailed product descriptions and ingredients lists. Clearly display your qualifications and certifications on your website too to build trust
• Leverage social media marketing – platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube will attract a wider audience to your brand. Create engaging and informative content that positions you as an expert they can trust
• Build an email list for lead generation – get customers to sign up to your email marketing and deliver content straight to their inbox. Focus on informative and quality content that is unique to your subscribers

5. Scale and grow

Once your nutrition business is up and running, the next step is to think about scaling it.

In order to achieve long-term success and growth you’ll need to take a strategic approach and keep a close eye on what works and what doesn’t.

Some of our top tips for scaling your nutrition business are:

• Diversify your services – Expand your offering to attract more customers and drive revenue. Ideas include offering a subscription model for supplements or meal prep and offering online consultations for those who are not in your local area.
• Make the most of technology – Technology can be your best friend when trying to scale, setting up an automated booking system to reduce your admin hours and using CRM software to track client progress and feedback are just two ideas.
• Analyse and optimise – You need to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Keep a close eye on performance and track key metrics, like sales or return customers, over set periods of time.

What do you need to set up a nutrition business?

Now that you know how to set up your nutrition business, here’s what you need to actually do it:

• The right qualifications – Make sure you have obtained all of the relevant qualifications and licences such as registering with the Food Standards Agency.
• Products or services – Source your products or build your services to be the best on the market. You may need to partner with wholesalers to provide what you need where you may find the cost of ingredients to be cheaper.
• An online presence – You’ll need to build a website and create social media accounts for your business.
• Payment systems – Make sure you set up a reliable payment system, such as Stripe or PayPal, to take customer payments.

How much can you expect to pay?

The cost of starting a nutrition business can range from £1,000 – £20,000 depending on the business model you opt for and the products/services that you offer. However, below we’ve listed a rough breakdown based on some of the most popular nutrition business models:

Online consulting

If you plan to offer online nutrition services, such as coaching and meal plans then you should budget between £1,000-£5,000. This will cover the cost of any certifications and qualifications, a website, and your marketing.

Supplements

For a supplement business you should budget between £5,000 – £20,000. This is a big range but that’s because it all depends on the ingredients and suppliers you wish to use. You’ll also need to pay for your ecommerce site, marketing, branding, packaging, and fulfillment.

Meal prep services

Meal delivery services will likely need aound £10,000 to get started. This will cover the licenses you need, equipment, ingredients, marketing, and delivery.

Conclusion

Starting a nutrition business can – and should be – an exciting and rewarding venture that allows you to help others improve their health while building a successful career for yourself.

By obtaining the right qualifications, creating a solid business plan and investing in the right marketing strategies, you can build a credible and thriving business that customers trust.

Whether you’re focusing on one-to-one coaching, selling meal plans or creating snazzy new supplements, the key to success is to stay informed, adapt to industry trends and build a strong relationship with your customers.