About us

Experience & qualifications you can trust

We use nutrition as a force for good, to balance purpose and profit and enhance value for both businesses and consumers.

We are a sounding board for internal nutrition teams, bringing an experienced, outside perspective. We help with specific projects so that your team can stay focused on their day jobs.

For businesses without in-house nutrition expertise and unaware of the nuances of nutrition, we provide insights that allow them to take advantage of new opportunities and adapt to risks.

Our Point of Difference

While we work across the entire sector with food producers, manufacturers, brands, government and professional services, business is our focus.

Unlike other nutritionists and dietitians, we don’t work with individuals. Concentrating on one area allows us to keep our finger on the pulse and be the best at what we do.

Independence and credibility is very important to us, so we’re not looking to be your brand ambassador. We work behind the scenes giving straight up, strategic advice to keep businesses ahead of the curve.

There are no “smoke and mirrors” when you work with us. Consumers want to know what’s in their food, how it was made and are drawn to businesses that “do the right thing” so helping businesses provide affordable, nutritious foods and marketing these appropriately is what we do. To us, nutrition isn’t just a marketing tool, it is integral to health and well-being.

About Jan

Our founding director, Jan Hales has over 20 years’ experience working with New Zealand and Australian based food producers, manufacturers, brands, government and agencies. A future focused New Zealand registered dietitian and nutritionist with an MBA and postgraduate qualification in marketing, Jan brings a unique blend of scientific and business know-how.

Jan is passionate about health and nutrition and the critical role food businesses have in fostering healthy eating for a sustainable future. Aware many food companies have limited or no nutrition resource, Jan and her team fill this gap, providing strategic insights and practical know-how to help them succeed.

Experience in:

Nutrition insights to identify opportunities, risks and trends
Evidence based nutrition content and messaging for brands
Nutrition strategy development
Nutrition science, policy and regulatory reviews
Nutrition and health claims for domestic and export markets
Category and market assessment
Health and nutrition research management
Health professional communications

Qualifications

Master of Business Administration (Strategy): University of Canterbury
Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration (Marketing): Massey University
Bachelor of Consumer and Applied Science (Human Nutrition): University of Otago
Certificate in Graduate Studies in Nutrition from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University
New Zealand Registered Dietitian and Registered Nutritionist

Members of

“Jan and I have worked together on a range of nutrition communication projects for food companies that required smart strategic thinking and an in-depth knowledge of the health and nutrition landscape and networks in New Zealand. She is incredibly well informed and always ready to jump into a new project or proposal with enthusiasm, generosity of time and commitment to delivering outstanding work. I value Jan’s collaborative and practical approach as an external member of our team.”

Andrea Mortensen

Director, Appetite Communications