Left-to-right: Samantha Kling, Brittany James, Wendy Stein, and Laural English visiting Campbell’s
This summer four COPT fellows visited the Campbell Soup Company headquarters and Global Nutrition center. Former Penn State alumna and Campbell’s Senior Nutritionist for Global Nutrition, Alexandra Hast, Ph.D., R.D., organized an incredible afternoon of meetings, presentations, and test-kitchen tours that facilitated interaction between the fellows and a variety of Campbell’s top nutrition team members.
Barbara Winters, Ph.D., R.D., Senior Scientist at Campbell’s and another Penn State Nutrition alumna, guided the fellows throughout the day while discussing her global and national responsibilities at Campbell’s. Lindsey Vaugh, who holds a position in nutrition communications, spoke to the fellows about handling monthly newsletters and interactions with marketing team members. Sheila Miller presented her role in “ideation” and recipe creation in one of Campbell’s kitchens. Jennifer McQuillan, DTR, described her responsibilities that involve analyzing recipes, collaborating with marketing partners and establishing nutrition facts panels for products. The fellows particularly enjoyed meeting with the director of regulatory affairs and quality assurance, Lisa Thorston and her co-worker, Laura Masullo.
Sheila Miller presenting on ideation at Campbell’s
Below are some reflections from each fellow about her experience:
Sam: I greatly appreciate the insight provided by the nutrition professionals at Campbell’s, and this experience will help me make informed decisions regarding careers in industry. Their advice to participate in education opportunities related to business and regulatory topics was particularly helpful, since these positions require constant development of knowledge in various areas of expertise, including but not limited to business, law, culinary, and food science.
Brittany: This was an incredibly beneficial trip, and I’m grateful for the funding and networking connections that made it possible. It was a very well-organized visit from their end. They did a great job scheduling the few hours we were there to include introductions to a wide range of professionals from members of the marketing team, to the nutrition research team, to the focus group coordinators, to the master chefs. I think meeting with one of the chefs and touring their kitchens was my favorite part. It truly seemed we were exposed to the full spectrum of work experiences for nutrition professionals. They were also very candid in answering our questions on what it’s like to work in a market-driven place like a food industry company and the challenges as well as benefits that come in that setting, which we all appreciated. I look forward to visiting other industry locations in the coming year to help solidify my understanding of that type of work.
Wendy: Meeting with the Campbell Soup Company Global Nutrition Team was an invaluable opportunity. Alex promised an informative overview of Nutrition Science in Industry, and she did not disappoint! I not only learned about the Global Nutrition Department at Campbell’s, but also, and most importantly, I learned about the various career avenues one can pursue with an advanced degree in Nutrition. I am optimistic that meeting and following-up with these colleagues (and Penn State Alumni) will lead to a great career in the food industry!
Laural: Everything I learned throughout the day in the Global Nutrition Department from all of the team members spoke immeasurably to me regarding positions in the food industry. Exposure to professionals in global nutrition, regulatory affairs, and product development was an incredible component of this trip. I appreciate that we were able to learn invaluable information about specific projects and responsibilities that different positions handle within teams at Campbell’s. By the end of the day, I had gained a greater understanding of the application and translation of nutrition/food science concepts into consumer needs. I could not be more grateful for the funding and effort that went into this trip.
Left-to-right: Laural English, Dr. Alex Hast, Samantha Kling, Brittany James, and Wendy Stein at Campbell’s
Tags: Day trip