Tell us a little about yourself ...
I am a trained nutritionist, dietitian and communicator with experience across the food sector. As managing partner of Eat Well Global, I work at the intersection of food, sustainable nutrition and global health, empowering organisations to boost their impact in this space. I absolutely love what I do and I have the best team in the world. I am also an American who has put down roots in Amsterdam - and a mom of three little boys with very large appetites.
What got you interested in nutrition?
Growing up, my mother was always experimenting in the kitchen and reading about nutrition. Her interest rubbed off on me, but it really became meaningful when I was a runner in high school, because that’s when I first experienced the direct link between what I ate and how I felt. But I assumed nutrition was just a personal interest, not necessarily a career path for me, so my first university degree was in communication. But my interest in nutrition continued to grow, and after gaining some work experience I realised that merging nutrition with communication was exactly what I needed to do. So I went back to earn degrees in nutrition communication and public health and also become a dietitian.
What do you work on, and how does it relate to public private engagement for nutrition?
At Eat Well Global, we work on a very wide range of topics that address nutrition across today’s complex global food system. Engagement is at the core of what we do: from guiding food and beverage manufacturers towards improved nutrition strategies, to supporting the agriculture sector in its efforts to increase availability and awareness of nutritious foods, to communicating evidence-based information on nutrition and health. To harness the enormous influence of the private sector for good, we also work with and seek input from public sector stakeholders to ensure we are on the right track, or to determine where and how our clients can make a greater impact.
Do you find anything challenging about working in this space?
Unfortunately, fear and assumptions on both sides can sometimes prevent these public private engagements from even happening. But once all parties acknowledge and disclose their interests, and are able to leverage their collective assets, so much more can be achieved.
What’s your latest project, and what is exciting about it?
One of the most interesting projects we have been working on is the development of the Nutrition at Work handbook on behalf of GAIN. It started with an in-depth literature review last year to determine what evidence exists around workforce nutrition. Then we began an iterative process of developing a practical tool to help organisations improve the nutrition of the food they offer to employees. We conducted an in-depth needs assessment, including a visit to Bangladesh to better understand the current reality of the ready-made garment sector. We then collected insights from SUN Business Network (SBN) coordinators in seven additional countries, as well as others within the workforce nutrition community, and developed several versions of the handbook before launch. The real test - and the most exciting part of this work - will be to get it into the hands of those who will put it to use, especially those who otherwise may not have had the resources or ability to address nutrition at all.
Who is the handbook for? How would you like to see it used?
The handbook is for employers aiming to improve the nutrition of the food they offer during the workday or employers who do not currently offer any food but want to take the first steps towards a workforce nutrition programme. The handbook includes the business case for nutrition at work as well as tools for managers, chefs, cooks and caterers to decide what and how much food to serve to employees. My hope is that these employers now take it and make it their own, really put it to the test, and come back with feedback on what works and what can be improved over time.
What’s next?
The sky is the limit! Right now, we are working to increase opportunities for nutrition experts around the world to serve as credible sources of information. On behalf of our clients, we’re also working to bridge some knowledge gaps between the agriculture and nutrition sectors. We also hope to continue to work with organisations like GAIN and SBN to improve access to nutrition globally.
What is your favourite food or meal?
This is a very difficult question to answer, because just like with my work, I find the most joy in the variety. That said, if something’s got peanut butter in it, sign me up.
Note from the editor: Nutrition Connect aims to share examples of partnerships and collaborations that result in positive nutrition outcomes. We seek examples that objectively demonstrate the potential of public private engagement, in particularly those which are underpinned by sound methodology, including evaluation. However, Nutrition Connect and its funders do not endorse any specific company, government or partnership, and in all cases a single example may not reflect the institution’s overall impact on food and nutrition security. For more information, the Editorial approach sets out our policy for content management, including case studies. Any related queries should be sent to nutritionconnect@gainhealth.org.