Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society (PNDS)

What Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society (PNDS) does

Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society (PNDS) is a non-profit professional society founded in 2003 and headquartered at Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. It operates as the sole credentialing body for Registered Dietitians/Nutritionists (RDN) in Pakistan under the Pakistan Accreditation of Nutrition and Dietetic Professionals (PANAP) framework, and serves over 900 members across five regional chapters in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. PNDS represents Pakistan internationally as a member of the International Confederation of Dietetic Associations (ICDA) and as a council member of the Asian Federation of Dietetic Associations (AFDA), and collaborates with The Nutrition Society (UK & Ireland) and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).

PNDS's core products are organized around three streams: (1) the RDN Certification Program, an annual registration exam with biennial renewal requiring 15 credit hours of continuing education; (2) Continuing Nutrition Education (CNE), delivered through chapter-based workshops, seminars, and webinars that satisfy RDN renewal requirements; and (3) Membership Services across Regular, Associate, Student, Corporate/Patron, and International tiers. The society also provides members access to global professional resources including the Evidence Analysis Library (Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics) and PEN (Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition from Dietitians of Canada) via SSO and group subscription arrangements. Technology is limited to a website (pnds.org), a member portal (pnds.net), and SSO integrations with partner knowledge bases — no proprietary technology products are developed.

Revenue is generated through five streams: annual and lifetime membership fees (Regular/Associate at 2,000 PKR/year, Student at 1,000 PKR/year, Corporate/Patron at 200,000 PKR/year, International at 150/50 USD), RDN exam registration and renewal fees (2,000 PKR exam, 1,500 PKR biennial renewal), conference and event income (NutriConnect series and the March Nutrition Month campaign), and modest subscription revenue from PEN group access (15 USD/year). The society is run by a voluntary Executive Committee of elected members and operates as a non-profit with no disclosed external ownership, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society (PNDS)

Legal name

Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society

Website

https://pnds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PNDS is the sole Pakistani professional society for nutrition and dietetics, serving 900+ members across five regional chapters with RDN certification, continuing education, and international affiliations through ICDA and AFDA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition & Dietetics Services (EDALAFAH)

Keywords

• Professional certification services
• Continuing education programs
• Membership association services
• Nutrition society services
• Dietitian accreditation

Headquarters

HQ city

Karachi

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: PNDS generates revenue through multiple membership tiers including Regular (2000 PKR/year), Associate (2000 PKR/year), Student (1000 PKR/year), Patron/Corporate (200,000 PKR/year), and International memberships (150 USD regular, 50 USD student). Lifetime memberships are also available at 10,000 PKR.
2. RDN Examination and Certification: The society administers annual Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN) certification exams with a fee of 2000 PKR. Renewal fees of 1500 PKR are required every two years.
3. Conferences and Events: PNDS organizes international conferences (NutriConnect2025), workshops, seminars, and the annual March Nutrition Month campaign. Revenue is generated through registration fees, sponsorships, and event participation.
4. Professional Resources and Publications: PNDS provides access to professional resources including the Evidence Analysis Library (EAL) and PEN subscription services (15 USD/year for group membership), generating supplementary revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PNDS is a non-profit professional society that sells annual memberships across multiple tiers (Student, Regular, Associate, International, Patron/Corporate), administers the Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist (RDN) certification exam with biennial renewal, delivers Continuing Nutrition Education (CNE) webinars and workshops that award credit hours, and organizes annual international conferences (NutriConnect series). Its core products serve individual dietitians, nutritionists, students, and allied health professionals seeking professional accreditation, continuing education, and access to evidence-based practice resources.

Product overview

PNDS operates as a professional society platform offering a comprehensive ecosystem for nutrition and dietetics professionals in Pakistan. The core offerings include the RDN (Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist) Certification Program for professional accreditation, Continuing Nutrition Education (CNE) for ongoing professional development, and multi-tiered Membership Services spanning Regular, Associate, Student, International, and Corporate categories. The society organizes annual international conferences (NutriConnect series) and provides access to professional resources including the Evidence Analysis Library and PEN database. A member portal enables online registration, exam applications, and membership management. The society maintains international affiliations with ICDA, AFDA, Nutrition Society UK, and American Society for Nutrition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RDN (Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist) Certification Program
• Continuing Nutrition Education (CNE)

Quantifiable outcome

• RDN certification exam administered annually with candidates from across Pakistan
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• University of ReadingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020University of Reading collaborated with PNDS and Nepal Dietitian Association to announce a two-day ION intensive course on Translational Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics in November 2020.
• SIUT (Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018SIUT collaborated with PNDS to organize a Course on Parenteral Nutrition in July 2018, featuring international speakers from ASPEN and covering topics like TPN considerations, pediatric nutrition, and refeeding syndrome.
• Punjab Food AuthoritymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018PNDS Lahore Chapter joined hands with Punjab Food Authority for the Punjab Food Festival 2018 to create awareness about good nutrition. PNDS had a Nutrition Clinic stall serving over 1000 people with expert advice from registered dietitians.
• Griffith University AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Dr Nilofer Safdar Fatimi and Ms Ayesha Khalid received scholarships from Griffith University Australia for a 4-week short course 'Promoting Multi-Sectoral Approaches to Nutrition' under the Australia Award South West Asia program.
• The Nutrition Society (UK & Ireland)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2013In November 2013, Trustees of The Nutrition Society (largest learned society for nutrition in Europe) signed an MOU with PNDS for improved understanding and cooperation. Areas include exchange visits, joint meetings, international co-study, scientist exchanges, joint funding opportunities, and enhanced research collaboration.
• American Society for Nutrition (ASN)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2013In September 2013, ASN collaborated with PNDS on education, training, and capacity-building activities. ASN was founded in 1928 and is one of the largest nutrition research societies globally.
• International Confederation of Dietetic Associations (ICDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2010PNDS was approved to represent Pakistan as a professional body in the field of Nutrition and Dietetics by ICDA in November 2010. ICDA is an association of national dietetic associations representing about 150,000 dietetics professionals in over 40 countries.
• Asian Federation of Dietetic Association (AFDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990PNDS is a council member of AFDA, an organization formed in 1990 to support and advance the profession of dietetics in Asia through studies of work and education of dietitians and raising standards in the region.
• Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNDS provides members access to the Evidence Analysis Library (EAL), a comprehensive resource developed by the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics for evidence-based dietetics practice.
• Dietitians of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPNDS provides members access to PEN (Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition), an innovative knowledge translation tool developed by Dietitians of Canada - a searchable database providing current evidence-based nutrition advice.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dietitians Association of Australia (DA) / Dietitians Australia: Australia's national dietetic association, providing Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) certification, continuing education, and advocacy. Closely parallels PNDS's RDN certification and member-driven structure, with shared AFDA membership.
• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (USA): The largest professional nutrition and dietetics association in the world, headquartered in the US. Operates the same model as PNDS: professional certification (RDN), continuing education, conferences, and code of ethics — and is the upstream provider of PNDS's Evidence Analysis Library access.
• British Dietetic Association (BDA): The UK national dietetic association — a direct functional analogue to PNDS, offering dietetic registration, continuing professional development, and trade union representation for dietitians. Highly comparable in operating model despite larger scale.
• American Society for Nutrition (ASN): One of the largest nutrition research societies globally, collaborating with PNDS since 2013 on education, training, and capacity-building. Comparable as a membership-based scientific society serving nutrition researchers and clinicians with conferences and publications.
• The Nutrition Society (UK & Ireland): Europe's largest learned society for nutrition, with which PNDS holds an MOU since 2013. Operates an analogous professional membership, conferences, publications, and continuing education model — making it one of the closest functional and structural peers.

Regional players

• Malaysian Dietitians' Association (MDA):
• Indian Dietetic Association (IDA): India's national dietetic association and fellow AFDA member. Operates a similar professional society model (membership tiers, conferences, RD credential) but serves the larger Indian market — the most relevant South Asian regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pakistan-nutrition-and-dietetic-society-pnds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pakistan Nutrition and Dietetic Society (PNDS)