Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin e.V. (DGEM)

What Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin e.V. (DGEM) does

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin e.V. (DGEM) is the primary medical-scientific professional society for nutritional medicine in Germany, organized as a registered nonprofit association (eingetragener Verein). It functions as a multidisciplinary community of physicians, nursing staff, dietitians, and allied healthcare professionals working in clinical nutrition. The society's core output is an extensive portfolio of evidence-based S2k and S3 clinical guidelines covering clinical nutrition across geriatrics, oncology, surgery, intensive care, hepatology, gastroenterology, neurology, and pediatrics, published through the AWMF portal. Its offerings extend to the official journal 'Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin', online seminar series (EAT 7.0, monthly 'Ernährungsmedizin aktuell'), annual congresses, the LEKuP decision-support tool, and the nutriZert quality certification jointly operated with DAEM for hospitals.

DGEM's business model is a diversified membership-and-services model typical of professional medical societies: recurring individual membership fees from healthcare professionals, subscription and advertising revenue from journal publication, event and congress revenue (notably the 48th ESPEN Congress in Berlin, September 2026), and professional-services revenue from the nutriZert hospital certification program. The society's go-to-market is community-led, anchored by educational programming, congresses, publications, and guideline dissemination, with no direct sales force and limited digital channels beyond the dgem.de website and online seminars.

A defining development is DGEM's policy advocacy success: the German Bundestag passed legislation mandating nutritional screening in hospitals, anchored in DGEM-promoted clinical standards, and the society subsequently secured a new G-BA Qualitätsverträge service area for malnutrition diagnostics, therapy, and prevention. These regulatory tailwinds create a compliance pull for DGEM's guidelines and certification products across the German hospital system. Leadership transitioned in September 2024 with Gert Bischoff assuming the presidency, while Prof. Dr. Arved Weimann and Prof. Dr. Georg Kreymann continue to oversee the guidelines function.

Name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin e.V. (DGEM)

Legal name

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin e.V.

Website

https://dgem.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DGEM is the German medical-scientific professional society for nutritional medicine, serving physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals through clinical guidelines, journals, congresses, and the nutriZert hospital certification program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Nutrition Therapy (Registered Dietitian) (HSADAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Nutrition Coaching (HSADAFAA), DMPK / ADME & Bioanalysis (HLAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Clinical nutrition guidelines
• Nutritional medicine education
• Medical professional society
• Clinical guideline development
• Nutrition certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Germany

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: DGEM generates revenue through professional membership fees from physicians, nursing staff, and other healthcare professionals working in nutritional medicine.
2. Publications: The society publishes 'Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin' as its official organ and previously published 'Nutrition-News' in collaboration with AKE and GESKES. Additional books on selected topics are also published.
3. Events and Congresses: Revenue from DGEM Jahrestagungen (annual meetings), ESPEN Congress 2026 in Berlin, and various continuing education events and seminars.
4. nutriZert Certification: Quality certification program for nutritional medicine offered jointly with DAEM for hospitals and clinical departments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DGEM is a German medical-scientific professional society for nutritional medicine. It develops and disseminates evidence-based clinical nutrition guidelines (S2k/S3 Leitlinien), publishes the official journal "Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin", organizes annual congresses and continuing education seminars, and jointly operates the nutriZert quality certification program for hospitals and clinical departments. The society also conducts policy advocacy in nutritional medicine.

Product overview

DGEM operates as a medical-scientific professional society offering a portfolio of educational programs, publications, clinical guidelines, and certification services. The core offerings include publishing the 'Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin' journal, organizing annual congresses (DGEM Jahrestagungen and ESPEN Congress), delivering online educational programs (EAT 7.0 and monthly seminars), developing evidence-based clinical nutrition guidelines (S2k/S3 Leitlinien), and administering the nutriZert quality certification for hospitals. The society also conducts awareness campaigns like Malnutrition Awareness Week and publishes the LEKuP decision support tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin Official scientific journal of DGEM covering clinical nutrition, parenteral and enteral nutrition, for physicians and healthcare professionals.
• Nutrition-News Publication forum for clinical nutrition, infusion therapy and dietetics, jointly published with AKE and GESKES until May 2025.
• EAT 7.0 Vorlesungsreihe "Ernährung als Therapie" Online lecture series by the Young DGEM (Junge DGEM) on nutrition as therapy, for physicians and healthcare professionals in nutritional medicine.
• Online-Seminarreihe "Ernährungsmedizin aktuell" Monthly online seminar series jointly organized by DGEM and DAEM covering new developments in research and practice of nutritional medicine.
• DGEM Jahrestagungen Annual conferences and congresses organized by DGEM for members and non-member healthcare professionals, including the ESPEN Congress Berlin 2026.
• DGEM Leitlinien (Clinical Nutrition Guidelines) Evidence-based S2k and S3 clinical guidelines on various aspects of clinical nutrition across multiple medical specialties, for physicians and clinical practitioners.
• nutriZert Qualitätszertifikat Quality certification for nutritional medicine offered jointly by DAEM and DGEM for hospitals and clinical departments demonstrating competence in nutritional medicine.
• LEKuP (Leitlinienbasierte Entscheidungsunterstützung in der Praxis) Guideline-based decision support tool for clinical practice in nutritional medicine, for physicians and clinical practitioners.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AWMF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWMF is the umbrella organization for medical-scientific societies in Germany. DGEM publishes its clinical guidelines through the AWMF online portal, following standardized guideline development methodology.
• ESPEN (European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean-level collaboration on clinical nutrition. DGEM is hosting the 48th ESPEN Congress in Berlin, September 5-8, 2026. The congress theme is 'Nutrition is the Mission'.
• DAEM (Deutsche Akademie für Ernährungsmedizin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint certification program 'nutriZert' - quality certificate for nutritional medicine for hospitals and clinical departments. Also co-organize monthly online seminars 'Ernährungsmedizin aktuell'.
• AKE (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Klinische Ernährung)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Nutrition-News' publication until May 2025. Joint publication forum for clinical nutrition, infusion therapy, and dietetics.
• GESKES (Gesellschaft für Klinische Ernährung der Schweiz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Nutrition-News' publication until May 2025. Swiss partner society for clinical nutrition.
• nutriZert GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnernutriZert is the quality certification brand for nutritional medicine, jointly operated by DAEM and DGEM. It offers certification for clinics and clinical departments demonstrating competence in nutritional medicine.
• nutritionDay ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational project for documenting and improving nutritional care in hospitals. DGEM participates in and promotes this cross-institutional quality improvement initiative.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• DDG (Deutsche Diabetes Gesellschaft): Large German medical society for diabetes, a major comorbidity area where DGEM provides clinical nutrition guidance. Comparable as a specialty medical society in Germany and a potential partner/competitor on nutrition-related guidelines.
• ESPEN Faculty (educational/training programs): ESPEN's Life-Long Learning educational platform represents a digital extension that competes with DGEM's EAT and seminar series for continuing education mindshare among European clinical nutrition professionals.

Broad incumbents

• AWMF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften): The umbrella organization of German medical-scientific societies through which DGEM publishes its S3 guidelines. Not a direct competitor but a structural partner and the gateway for DGEM's guideline authority in Germany.
• DGE (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung e.V.): Germany's largest nutrition science society, with a broader nutritional science vs. clinical medicine focus. Overlaps with DGEM on nutrition education and policy but covers nutrition science more broadly, including general public nutrition.

Regional players

• AKE (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Klinische Ernährung): Austrian society for clinical nutrition that previously co-published Nutrition-News with DGEM. Operates in the same clinical nutrition space but focuses on Austria, providing a regional peer for DGEM's DACH strategy.
• GESKES (Gesellschaft für Klinische Ernährung der Schweiz): Swiss society for clinical nutrition and a former co-publisher of Nutrition-News with DGEM. Comparable in mission and activities to DGEM but focused on Switzerland rather than Germany.
• BAPEN (British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition): UK multi-professional society for nutritional support. Comparable in mission and member composition to DGEM, but focused on the United Kingdom and structured as a charity/association.

Direct peers

• ASPEN (American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition): The leading US professional society for clinical nutrition, parenteral and enteral nutrition. Closely comparable to DGEM in mission, guideline development, and certification offerings, but serves the North American market.
• DAEM (Deutsche Akademie für Ernährungsmedizin): DGEM's German sister organization, jointly running the nutriZert certification and monthly online seminars. Operates in the same nutritional medicine space in Germany with overlapping physician membership and educational programs.
• ESPEN (European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism): The European umbrella society for clinical nutrition and metabolism. DGEM hosts the 48th ESPEN Congress in Berlin 2026, operates in the same clinical nutrition space, and shares guideline and congress functions with DGEM at the European level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/deutsche-gesellschaft-f%C3%BCr-ern%C3%A4hrungsmedizin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährungsmedizin e.V. (DGEM)