Skilled and Ready to Help

Melissa

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name: 
Melissa Grzybowski
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President
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Melissa is President at Food Consulting Company, after serving as U.S. Regulatory and Nutrition Specialist at the company for 10 years. As president, Melissa works with clients to provide nutrition and regulatory guidance to produce food labels that fully comply with U.S. labeling laws. She also moderates the Food Label Community on LinkedIn and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. Melissa's prior experience in food labeling, regulatory and nutrition was with Target Corporation.

Melissa combines her education in nutrition with an intimate knowledge of government regulations and industry trends, having become an invaluable resource for food manufacturers of all sizes, distributors, retailers, ingredient suppliers, importers and brokers, restaurateurs and others in the food industry. Her guidance saves clients time and effort that can be reallocated to other marketing and sales intiatives. Most importantly, Melissa’s expertise provides peace of mind and lowers the risk associated with regulatory compliance.

Melissa is a Registered Dietitian and earned a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics, Food and Nutrition from The College of St. Scholastica. She then studied at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities where she earned a master’s degree in Nutrition.

Senia

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Senia Lee
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Client Services Manager
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Senia is responsible for the coordination of all client projects and partner communications at Food Consulting Company. She handles the day-to-day management of projects including client inquiries, custom requests, assigning regulatory specialists based on expertise and delivery of completed work. Senia is also responsible for implementing our monthly e-newsletter Food Label News.

Prior to joining Food Consulting Company, Senia worked as a virtual assistant for small business owners, a concept core to the company’s operations since 1999. Senia also gained experience in customer service and project management as the staffing coordinator for a home care agency. Her excellence in planning and organization comes from an intrinsic love of details that she has further developed through various administrative roles, and as a practicing occupational therapist.

Senia earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, both from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.

Amy

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name: 
Amy Slaughter
title: 
Senior Regulatory and Nutrition Specialist
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Amy is Food Consulting Company’s senior regulatory and nutrition specialist supporting a wide range of client types in virtually every food product category: bakery, condiments, confections, entrees, salads, snack foods, sauces and dressings, meats and dietary supplements. Amy is not only skilled in food label regulatory compliance, but is also a trainer in Genesis R&D software, an industry tool used to develop ingredient lists and Nutrition Facts.

Prior to working with Food Consulting Company, Amy provided nutrition and regulatory support for Kraft Foods North America and NBTY. She helped product development and marketing understand labeling regulations, validated raw materials/food ingredients, approved product formulations and developed ingredient lists and other regulated labeling information. Amy was also responsible for product and nutrition claims substantiation.

Amy earned a bachelor’s degree in Food Science Technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a master’s degree in Nutrition and Human Health at Bridgeport University in Connecticut. 

Steve

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Steve Kinsley
title: 
Canada Regulatory and Nutrition Specialist
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Steve works with Food Consulting Company clients to ensure food products meet Canadian nutrition labeling regulations. He works with food companies that manufacture or distribute food products in Canada, import products to Canada or export Canadian products to the U.S.  Steve’s work includes a specialty in nutrient analysis, nutrition software and nutrient databases to ensure compliant food labels.

Steve’s professional experience has focused in nutrition labeling services for a wide variety of small to large food companies and importers, including General Mills Canada. In addition, Steve has deep expertise in computer-assisted nutrient analysis. Steve’s career also includes food service, nutrition care management and education, additional perspective that he brings to his food labeling clients.

Steve is a Registered Dietitian. He graduated from Ryerson University with a bachelor’s degree in Food, Nutrition, Consumer and Family Studies. His dietetic internship was at Mount Sinai Hospital and he holds certifications in computer programming, networking and connectivity.

Karen

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Karen Duester
title: 
Founder
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Karen founded Food Consulting Company in 1993 to deliver nutrition analysis and food label guidance, ensuring compliance with FDA and other government regulations. During her 28 years of leadership, she grew the company to become the largest outsource provider in the food labeling industry. Karen counseled clients from start-ups to Fortune 500s, created the highly respected e-newsletter Food Label News, built the Food Label Community and trained and mentored thousands of food labelers helping to shape the understanding of so many facets of food labeling and regulatory compliance. In her role as founder, Karen continues to provide strategic counsel for Food Consulting Company and its clients.

Karen earned a bachelor's degree in Food and Nutrition from the University of Nebraska, a master's degree in Human Nutrition from Texas Woman's University, and completed a 16 month coordinated dietetic internship at Houston V.A. Medical Center on her way to becoming a Registered Dietitian. She has worked at a camp for diabetic children, as a hospital clinical dietitian, and as a clinical nutrition manager. Karen was formerly Vice President of Health Care for Practorcare, Inc., a leading supplier of computer systems and services for nutrition and food service management.