What’s It Like to Work as a CPG Dietitian? Breaking Into Wellness & Supplements
In this episode of Feed Me the Facts, Deanna sits down with Gaby Vaca-Flores, MS, RD, who previously worked as the Education and Scientific Affairs Manager at HUM Nutrition, to explore what it’s really like to build a career in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and corporate wellness space.
Gaby has been a dietitian since 2017 and began her career in clinical nutrition before realizing that traditional clinical practice wasn’t the right fit for her. She went on to work in Early Head Start and diabetes education before making the leap into the dietary supplement industry. What started as a creative attempt to get her foot in the door at HUM evolved into a seven-year career where she grew from an RD providing customer education to a senior manager working across nutrition communications, scientific and regulatory affairs, and product innovation.
Gaby shares how she learned skills like blog writing, social media, SEO, and nutrition communications on the job—and how those skills ultimately inspired her to pursue a master’s degree in communication management. She also talks about the realities of working at a startup, including wearing multiple hats, being comfortable figuring things out, letting go of perfectionism, and embracing opportunities to learn outside of your traditional scope.
The conversation also explores the role of dietitians in the CPG industry, the importance of scientific credibility when communicating nutrition information, representation in corporate wellness, and the opportunities for RDs to have a greater voice in product development and consumer health.
For dietitians and future dietitians interested in stepping outside the traditional clinical path, Gaby offers practical advice on networking, building complementary skills, pitching your value to brands, and creating opportunities that may not exist as a traditional job posting.
Gaby now serves as the Director of Scientific Affairs, Education, Engagement at ARMRA Colostrum.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
Why Gaby pivoted away from clinical nutrition early in her career (02:00)
How realizing clinical wasn’t the right fit pushed her to explore new opportunities.Breaking into the CPG and wellness industry as an RD (06:00)
How she pitched herself into a role that didn’t technically exist.How nutrition communications became her niche (08:00)
Learning SEO, content creation, and scientific storytelling on the job.What it’s really like working at a startup (12:00)
Why adaptability, problem-solving, and wearing multiple hats matter.The value of staying and growing within one company (18:00)
How Gaby evolved her role over seven years at HUM Nutrition.Scientific credibility in the supplement industry (23:00)
How she evaluates research, uses PubMed, and communicates evidence responsibly.Representation and opportunities for dietitians in wellness brands (25:00)
Why more companies need RDs at the table.Future trends in supplements and wellness products (30:00)
Protein products, GLP-1 support, gut health, and the future of CPG nutrition.Advice for dietitians wanting unconventional careers (32:00)
Why networking, persistence, and developing complementary skills are key.Navigating networking as an introvert (35:00)
Gaby’s strategy for showing up professionally while staying authentic.
Resources & Links:
📌 Connect with Gaby:
LinkedIn
🎙️ Stay connected with Feed Me The Facts:
Website: www.diversifydietetics.org
Instagram & Facebook: @DiversifyDietetics
Send in your thoughts/questions: fmtf@diversifydietetics.org
📩 Don’t forget to subscribe to The Squeeze, Diversify Dietetics’ monthly newsletter for the latest updates in nutrition and dietetics.
🎧 Listen now on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube