Prof Rina Swart is a professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at the University of the Western Cape and serves as the Nutrition programme lead within the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security. Photo Shelley Christians/Institutional Advancement, UWC.
Professor Rina Swart, the DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Secuirty’s (CoE-FS) Nutrition lead, recently delivered her inaugural lecture, titled “Enabling Food Environments to Address the Triple Burden of Malnutrition”.
The inaugural lecture marked a significant milestone in a career defined by sustained commitment to improving nutrition and public health in South Africa.
Prof Swart is a registered dietitian with a PhD in Public Health. After qualifying, she worked for eight years as a dietitian; first at Tygerberg Hospital and then at the National Department of Health. Photo Shelley Christians/Institutional Advancement, UWC.
A professor in the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Professor Swart has spent more than three decades advancing evidence-based approaches to nutrition policy and practice.
Photo Shelley Christians/Institutional Advancement, UWC.
Trained as a registered dietitian and public health specialist, her career spans clinical service at Tygerberg Hospital, national policy work at the Department of Health, and long-standing academic leadership since joining UWC in 1991.
As Nutrition programme leader at the CoE-FS, Prof Swart has driven national initiatives such as front-of-pack labelling development, evaluation of the health promotion levy and the National Dietary Intake Survey 2021, shaping policy and practice. Photo Shelley Christians/Institutional Advancement, UWC.
Professor Swart’s inaugural lecture, delivered in August 2025, explored how food environments shape dietary choices and health outcomes through factors such as availability, affordability, marketing and regulation. Drawing on extensive research and policy experience, she highlighted South Africa’s complex nutrition landscape, characterised by persistent child undernutrition, widespread micronutrient deficiencies, and rising levels of overweight and obesity across all age groups.
Photo Shelley Christians/Institutional Advancement, UWC.
The lecture underscored her lifelong contribution to strengthening food systems, informing policy, and advancing nutrition interventions aimed at improving population health and equity.
Watch Professor Swart’s inaugural lecture here: https://youtu.be/cVTYq3ABhtM
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