Terms and conditions for a nutritionist

A nutrition practice needs terms that deal with the things that actually cause trouble: the client who did not mention their medication, the twelve-week programme abandoned after the plan was written, the supplement sold alongside the advice, and the line between nutrition support and medical treatment. I draft those client terms around your practice for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Nutritionists, nutritional therapists and registered dietitians in private practice in England and Wales, seeing clients in clinic, at home or over video. Most of your clients are consumers, which brings a set of protections you cannot draft away. Many practices also sell workplace wellbeing sessions and talks to employers, which is a business to business contract and needs different treatment in the same document.

What matters in a nutritionist's terms

Scope of practice and what you are not offering

Your terms have to say what the service is and what it is not. Define it as nutrition and lifestyle advice, state that it is not medical diagnosis or treatment, and make clear that the client should keep their GP informed and should not stop prescribed medication on your say-so. A disclaimer cannot go further than that. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 stops you excluding liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, and stops you limiting liability for a service to less than the price. What the scope clause does is define what you promised, which is where complaints are usually decided.

Client disclosure, referral and declining work

Your advice is only as good as what the client tells you. The terms should require full and accurate disclosure of diagnosed conditions, medication, supplements, allergies and pregnancy, and require the client to tell you when something changes mid-programme. They should also give you the right to decline or stop work and refer the client back to their GP, which matters where you suspect disordered eating or a presentation outside your competence. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires you to work with reasonable care and skill; it does not make you the guarantor of information you were never given.

Programmes paid up front and clients who stop halfway

Most practices sell a programme rather than a session: an initial consultation, a written plan, then follow-ups over several weeks, paid in advance. The terms need to say what the fee buys, how long the client has to use the follow-ups, whether a programme can be paused, and what happens when the client disappears after the plan has been written. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, keeping a prepayment on cancellation without a matching obligation on you sits on the grey list of terms that may be unfair, so the stages need to be priced and described so that what you have earned is visible.

Online sign-ups, plans and the fourteen-day cancellation right

Where a client books online, by email or by telephone, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give them fourteen days to cancel from the date of the contract. Starting inside that period needs the client's express request, and a client who then cancels pays a proportionate amount; without that request, nothing. A meal plan, recipe pack or video module supplied as digital content can only go out in the period with express consent and an acknowledgement that the right to cancel is lost. The terms should also make the plan personal to that client, not something to be shared or resold.

Supplements, testing and anything you sell alongside advice

If you dispense supplements or resell a laboratory test, you are selling goods as well as advice. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described, they remain at your risk until the consumer has them, and the consumer has a short-term right to reject within thirty days. Sealed hygiene items fall outside the cancellation right once unsealed, which is worth saying. The terms should also be clear about what a test result does and does not tell the client, and that your interpretation of it is advice rather than diagnosis.

Results claims, reviews and corporate wellbeing work

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 information the client relies on in choosing you is binding, so a promise made on your website or in a discovery call becomes part of the contract. Set expectations, not outcomes. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 bans fake reviews and drip pricing, so testimonials must be genuine and your headline price must include everything the client has to pay. Where you run sessions or talks for an employer, that is a business contract: the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 gives you interest and fixed compensation, and a liability cap is judged under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted around your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want to know how much of a problem they are. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of terms drafted around your business, not a template with your name inserted
• A covering note in plain English explaining every commercial choice I made and why, so you can defend the terms in a negotiation without ringing me
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions set at a level that will survive a procurement review
• Consumer-facing wording drafted to be enforceable where you sell to consumers
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly, which is where most businesses actually fail
• One round of amendments after you have read them

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country

Questions I am often asked

Can I charge a client who cancels an appointment at short notice?

A late cancellation or no-show charge is normal in private practice. It needs a stated notice period, commonly 24 hours, and a charge that reflects the slot you cannot refill. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 treats disproportionate default charges as potentially unfair, so a full fee for a cancellation given days ahead is hard to defend.

I see every client over video. Do I still need written terms?

Remote practice makes written terms more important, not less. Everything is agreed at a distance, so the cancellation rules, the pre-contract information and the way the client accepts your terms all have to be handled through your booking flow. I explain how to incorporate the terms properly, which is the part most practices get wrong.

What if a client does not follow the plan and then complains?

That is exactly what the client responsibilities clause is for. It should record that the client decides what to eat, that they will follow the plan as agreed and report side effects, and that results depend on factors outside your control. Your obligation is to advise with reasonable care and skill, not to produce a particular outcome.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Data protection agreements and privacy terms, £795
• Ask Caesar, £495 a month
• Terms and conditions for a personal trainer

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.