CHICAGO: PadillaCRT-owned FoodMinds, a food and nutrition communications and consulting company, has hired Mitch Kanter as chief science officer.
Kanter will work closely with FoodMinds cofounders Laura Cubillos, Bill Layden, and Susan Pitman to advise clients on the science and evidentiary issues facing the food, beverage, nutrition, health, and wellness sectors. He will also co-lead Global ExpertBench, a network of nutrition experts spanning six continents, the firm said in a statement.
Kanter is reporting to Layden. He started in the position on October 1.
"My role is to look strategically at issues related to health and nutrition through the prism of science, and then work with clients to translate the science and advise them on products or health strategies," said Kanter.
FoodMinds’ previous chief science officer was Robert Post, who joined the firm in 2013 after retiring from his position as a senior executive in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Later that year, he moved over to lead nutrition and regulatory affairs at Chobani. FoodMinds has not had a chief science officer in place since then, the firm’s SVP Stacey Stevens said via email.
Kanter most recently served as executive director of the American Egg Board and Egg Nutrition Center, where he worked for seven years. Before that, he worked for Cargill as discovery director, director of venturing, and director of health and nutrition, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Earlier in his career, Kanter was director of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute and director of clinical nutrition research and scientific communications for Quaker Oats. He also served as director of health and nutrition sciences for General Mills.
PadillaCRT acquired FoodMinds in May, making the combined company collectively the third-largest food-and-beverage group in the country among independent agencies, with combined revenues of more than $40 million.
The firm has more than 40 employees, including 15 registered dietitians and a PhD, along with a global network of nearly 30 nutrition affairs experts.
FoodMinds was founded in 2006 with the goal of helping food, nutrition, and health clients engage in public dialogue and navigate the science, public affairs, and communications landscape. FoodMinds leverages Padilla’s expertise and resources in creative, digital, research, branding, crisis, and critical issues communications.
This story was updated on October 26 with comment from Kanter.
