The Organisation

The DGE is made up of around 4,000 members, who form the society’s main body. The general assembly of members elects representatives to the Scientific Committee and Administrative Board every three years. See more details on the Scientific Committee (in german).

The Scientific Committee consists of volunteer experts from the fields of nutrition and related sciences. About one third is elected by the DGE members, while the remainder are appointed by the Committee. The Scientific Committee develops, reviews and supports the scientific activities within the DGE, and identifies areas where further research is needed. It advises the departments and provides them with professional guidance.

The Administrative Board oversees the management of the organization and includes members of the Scientific Committee, experts in administration, representatives of the DGE’s regional branch offices, and the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity.

The DGE is organized into five main departments:

• Science
• Science Editorial Office
• Further Education
• Communal Catering and Quality Assurance
• Public Relations

In addition to its Bonn headquarters, the DGE has branch offices in six federal states: Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, and Thuringia. These regional offices help to implement DGE initiatives and collaborate with local partners.
The network units are situated in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (day care center and school), Lower Saxony (school and seniors), Schleswig-Holstein (school and seniors), and Thuringia (day care center and seniors).

Management and Staff: The DGE is led by Managing Director Dr. Kiran Virmani and employs around 130 staff members, working either full-time or part-time, most of which are based at the DGE’s Head Office in Bonn, including 15 working specifically on the IN FORM initiative in communal catering. An additional 20 members of staff are employed in the DGE’s branch offices and related projects, while around 20 more are based in various networking centres and joint projects across Germany’s departments and branch offices .

Funding: The DGE has an annual budget of approximately 6.75 million euros. Around 25% of this comes from self-generated income, such as media sales, membership fees, and course participation fees. The remaining 75% is funded through public contributions.