Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Welcome back to the Nutrition Connection Podcast, the show where science meets storytelling. I'm your host, Dr. Kristin Hicks-Roof, dietitian, researcher, and lifelong advocate of the role of nutrition, health, and wellness. Each episode, I sit down with dietitians and nutrition experts all across the food and healthcare landscape, leaders whose work touches nearly every aspect of our lives. So whether you're a student, a seasoned professional, or someone simply curious about food, nutrition, and health, this podcast is just for you. The views, thoughts, and comments on this podcast do not reflect those of my employer nor the employers of my guests. So let's go ahead and get connected. Y'all. I am so excited to bring this guest on. I reached out to her when she added me on LinkedIn. She works for Bluebell Creameries, which if you're a Texan, you are diehard Bluebell. And if you're not, you're going to learn all about Bluebell. So we have Sarah Cano. She's the research and development food technologist at Bluebell Creameries. Welcome to the show, Sarah.

Sara Cano: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to talk about my role here.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Yeah, so we are both Aggies, Gig'em, so that's always fun. But we're going to dive a little bit deeper. Let's start from the beginning because you have this food technology role, which is really niche as a dietitian. So I want to start from the beginning though. What inspired you and made you want to become a nutrition professional?

Sara Cano: Yes, so I'm not too far into my career, so it wasn't that long ago for me, ⁓ but I came to college and I didn't really know what I was wanting to do. And so when I was looking at majors, I was recommended a nutrition degree and I didn't know a whole lot about it at the time, but I thought I'll just jump into it and if I don't like it, I can always change later on. And I ended up falling in love with it. I loved all of my professors. I loved what I was learning and It just felt really, really impactful. so fell in love with the world of nutrition and of dietetics. And then I decided I wanted to be a registered dietitian. So switched into the dietetic program at A &M. And just through a lot of mentoring, I realized how powerful nutrition can be in preventative medicine. And there was just a big gap that I saw between just the general public and then the people who studied nutrition, the nutrition professionals. And I just wanted to be part of bridging that gap. And so I went and did my dietetic internship at UTMB and throughout that process, I still loved nutrition and I loved what I was doing. But I kind of realized the clinical space was not for me. And I just really wanted a more creative outlet and just a job where I could really make a difference and an impact that I didn't feel like I was having at the time. And then... just through a random set of circumstances, got working at Bluebell Creameries, which is a job I never thought I would ever have in my life. And I'm living my dream job right now and it's wonderful.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: So, you know, that's really not only are you in this like food technology space, but you're in like research development, you know, creating and we're going to dive into a little bit what you do because like I want to know more of what you do because I love bluebell and I love ice cream. ⁓ But it's also like, how did you get that role? I know you said random connections, but how did you get that role? Did you have any, you know, more food science experience to leverage into that role?

Sara Cano: So it was honestly more networking and connections. So Dr. Beathard, she was your first guest on this podcast. She was a really big mentor of mine during my undergrad at A ⁓ And so I was finishing up my internship. I was actually moving back to Bryan College Station. I was getting married and my husband was in town. And so I was looking for a job. And at the time there weren't any jobs in the traditional dietetic settings. And so I reached out to Dr. Beathard and asked if she knew of anything. Ironically, ⁓ the research and development department at Bluebell has really been filled with dieticians. And so the dietician that helped start the department here was retiring and they needed someone to join the team. And so that's how I found out about this job. And in full honesty, and I joke about this with my boss now, but when I applied for this job, I was not fully sure what I was applying for. But Bluebell is definitely a family oriented company. ⁓ And so getting to interview and just get to meet people, think the personalities really clicked and ⁓ anything that I didn't know they were willing to teach me, which I'm so appreciative of. We do an in-house ice cream class. So that was something I was gonna be a part of as well as I went to a couple of other different ice cream classes and some shows and conferences to kind of get me caught up to speed. And there are things like that that people probably don't even know, but there's ice cream classes that are held across the country. They were really willing to take a chance on me and I'm very grateful for it.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: You know, I really like kind of like your red thread as you're talking about this is sometimes you just got to go for something that maybe you're not necessarily the most qualified, but you are a, a, a continuous learner. Right. And I think that's something that many dietitians and nutrition professionals have this interest in continuously learning. mean, if you're a dietitian, you're mandatory 75 continuing education hours every five years. So we are continuously learning and that is something that we can bring to roles. So. I feel like it's a really good confidence for people of like, want to apply for that job, but I maybe don't fit all the criteria or in your case, I don't even know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to put my name in that. Um, because you know, I've taken jobs very similar to that where I'm like, I'm not really sure what this entails, but I'm going to say yes, because it sounds interesting and it checks my boxes. It's close. I get paid and something related to nutrition, you know, so that's really cool. So let's.

Sara Cano: ⁓ huh.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Let's talk about your role. You know, I don't know how long you've been there. If you want to tell us how long you've been there and then what does your day to day look like? You talked about ice cream classes, which like sign me up if I can do those because that sounds awesome. And if you've never had Bluebell and you're listening, one of the things I love about Bluebell, which I'm biased because I lived in Bryan College station, which is nearby to the home base of Bluebell, but you always come up with really creative flavors.

Sara Cano: That's it.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: So I'd love for you to dive a little bit deeper, like what's the dietician's role to be able to have that creative outlet to support food innovation?

Sara Cano: Yes, so I love talking about this. If I talk for too long, please let me know. But so our team is actually really small. So it's myself and two other women. One's actually another dietitian, Kristi Moran, and then a food science major from A Bethany Guales. And so it's just the three of us and we do a lot of different things here. So we... primarily do product development. And so that's developing the new flavors for the upcoming year. So if you can see this, these flavors that are behind me up there. So we develop those as well as all the reformulation efforts that are happening right now, especially with all of the federal legislation happening. so product development is definitely the best part about the job. So the ideas for these flavors, they can honestly come from anywhere. We have employees that will come by our offices and mail. Just drop off some ideas. Our sales group will have ideas. We'll have our own. We'll go out to eat and we'll have some dessert somewhere and we'll just fall in love with the dessert and want to make an ice cream out of it. And so what it looks like is we'll eat a cookie that we really like and then we'll go to our lab, which looks kind of like a kitchen with some ice cream tools thrown in there and we'll make the cookie in our lab and we'll all eat it and we'll break it down and try to see how we can get ice cream. to taste just like that cookie. And so it'll be through different ice cream base mixes, so maybe brown sugar, regular sugar, different flavors, different flavor profiles, different inclusions, so cake pieces, cookies, fruits. We make our own sauces in-house, so making a sauce to go into that product and just really tying it all together. So that's the best part of the job for sure. We make a lot of ice cream and we eat a lot of ice cream. So we'll make about, we'll have almost a hundred ideas each year and then we'll start working on them. We won't make all hundred, but we'll start making them in the lab and probably whittle it down to 20 to 30 and then we'll throw them into taste panels from there. So another part of our role is sensory evaluation. We have trained taste panelists across the company and we meet with them in groups of five twice a week and we just put product in front of them, whether it's a new flavor, a current product to do an evaluation, maybe it's the first run of a product and just get their feedback on how it's tasting. Is the flavor good? Is the texture and the body of the ice cream well? The color of it? Is there an even distribution of the inclusions in there? And that kind of helps us whittle down those new flavors from 20 to 30 down to about 15 that we'll present to our sales group. And then from those, they'll pick the five new flavors for the upcoming year. So.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: mean, if your mouth is not watering and you're listening to this, like I can just imagine one of my favorite. And when I first met Sarah, I remember I linked it to her and I was like, my favorite is that toasted chocolate coconut that you had years and years ago. Like, can you bring that back? It was so funny because, you know, when you have new product and new innovation, there is, I think that's one of the things that like crumble. I think the crumble cookies do such a good job. They're always being very creative. And you know,

Sara Cano: Bye!

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: As dieticians, we know that people choose food because it tastes good and it sounds good, right? And then when you actually taste it and if it does taste like that cookie you had in that one experience, all of sudden it opens up these, you know, historical memories and then you create like this relationship with those memories. So I think it's so cool to have dieticians sitting in these spaces to give that angle. But I know you don't just do the formulation side. I know you do some of the regulatory side. Can you talk to us about the labeling and what are some of these other roles that you're responsible for?

Sara Cano: Yes, so the labeling is a big part of our role. So we do the nutrition facts panel, the ingredient listing statements, and we work with our sales and marketing team as well as with our legal team to make sure our front of pack. So what's listed on the front of the carton, you've got a couple different declarations on there. We want to make sure that those are legally correct and also said in a way that entices consumers to want to pick up that flavor and try it if it's unfamiliar to them. And so that's a big part of our job. And then right now, specifically with all of the different legislation that's happening on the state level, we're trying to be proactive and keep an eye on that, even if it's not getting passed quite yet, just being ready to trial different solutions. If maybe some ingredients that we currently use do get banned, what can we use? Is it really a viable option? And then what are the impacts to cost? And then also to the quality of the product will impact. the taste, the texture, and things like.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: I think that's such a layered discussion that kind of gets lost in the abyss. You you get things like legislation of removing dyes or whatever it comes from, both federal and state policy. And then it is up to all these food companies to be able to create product that people like, right? Because you can be like, ⁓ this is an easy one for one swap. And then all of sudden you taste it and it melts faster or it has this like off. pudding, you know, aftertaste. And so I'm sure all of those are part of that reformulation, the R &D. And that's what something, I think people have ideas and theoretical of what should happen in food industry. And then it's like, yeah, but what's practical? What is affordable? What is reasonable? Like, can we source the ingredients that you maybe want us to use? So it's really cool that you kind of get to sit on this in between, not only on the fun innovation side, but then you are, I'm sure learning a lot that maybe you didn't know before, because I remember when I kind of was doing some of this regulatory work, I have had no experience in regulatory. So I had to learn like, what were these, these codes? What was the legislation? What's allowable? What's not allowable in front of PAC? You know, have you, do you give, you have any tips or advice for someone who like maybe is interested in a role like that, but really scared that They don't know some of these things and they feel unqualified to be able to have that.

Sara Cano: Absolutely, because it was definitely something I was not familiar with until coming into this role. so being here at Bluebell, I really feel like I've just learned so much. And I will be so honest, I read textbooks and manuals all the time. And so there's in the dairy space, there's an IDFA labeling manual and I read that all the time. And there's so many resources out there depending on what industry you're in. And then honestly, really partnering with your teams at a company. ⁓ I would hope that whatever company you work for in industry, you're not going to be left to make all these decisions by yourself. And so I really love the collaborative nature that we have here at Bluebell. And so we're able to reach out to our legal team. We're able to reach out to our ⁓ marketing team and just really talk about what it would look like on a label. Because they have a little bit more insight as well that we don't have. And so it's been really great to lean on them too. So it's just honestly a great opportunity to learn.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: So you talked a little bit about some of these labeling requirements. Let's dive deeper into kind of science because science is probably an underpinning of a lot of these claims that you may make or whatever you might have on your product or even maybe on the back end when you're thinking about the food science side of it and not necessarily just the human facing science. So how does scientific evidence impact or is part of your day to day in your role?

Sara Cano: It is honestly so crucial. And so when looking at studies, it's gonna be a little bit different, because before in my undergrad and master's program, I was looking at all these clinical studies, looking at patients, and now I'm looking more at the food side of it. And so we recently came out with a protein frozen dairy dessert product line called our Bluebell Pro, and it's something that we're really proud of, but that's kind of an example of we were learning how to hydrate protein. It was something that we were learning how to do for the first time. There's a bunch of different ways that you can do it. You can hydrate it cold, you can hydrate it warm for different times, but you really want to get the best hydration to help with the texture and the taste. And so that's where the research really comes in because people have done studies on how to hydrate protein in the best conditions. And so really leaning on those resources and not just in that space, but in so many spaces with starch that goes into our ripples. We're looking at how to get the best integrity of our starch and There's a lot of studies that have been done that use really expensive equipment. And so we're able to lean on those rather than getting the equipment ourselves, which has been helpful just to give a baseline. So it's definitely helpful when formulating something new specifically that we're not as familiar with, because Bluebell has been around since forever. It's been around since 1907. And so they know how to make really good ice cream. And I'm very proud of the ice cream that we make here. But sometimes we like to try something new. And so really leaning on. studies on how food interacts with one another and how to maintain the integrity of some of the ingredients that we're using.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Well, it really is. It's science to translation, right? Like you talked about clinical, you you were reading maybe assessment biomarkers and diet intakes and whatever, which is a different type of science to translation. Your science to translation is also behind the scenes of how do we actually create products that someone would want to buy, whether that's the taste, the texture, the holdup, the added ingredients, right? Like I just, want to try that pro ice cream now. I mean, I think I tried almost everyone. was saying the one in the back, I hadn't tried that. was like, Sarah, which one is that? I'm in Arizona now. So we don't get ⁓ all the wonderful blue whale flavors that we did in Texas. ⁓ so I got try it when I'm in Texas, cause I haven't seen it yet. So it's all right. You did say you're, you're still early in your career, but what's been your favorite or something you're most proud of so far?

Sara Cano: I'll be. Yeah. ⁓ Yes, it's feel good. So it takes a little bit of time to create a new product. And so when I started, we were working on development for this year, actually. And so it takes about two years. And so I really got to dive into what product development looked like from ideation to the store shelves. And so Honey Vanilla was one of the first products that I got to work on from start to finish. And that hit the store shelves this year in February. So I'm really proud of that. It was like my first little baby here. And it was just really fun because it was a new base mix for our team. We put honey in the base and they've had history with putting honey in the bases before, but still it hadn't been done for quite some time. getting to work with our mix department on what that would look like, working with our purchasing and quality assurance teams to get new suppliers approved because it was a lot of new ingredients. It had a new ⁓ stabilizer system in it that we didn't use before. So. testing and trialing that out and then doing the labeling, working on the packaging and then just seeing it all come together. It's just a really surreal experience because you work on it for two years and then you go to the grocery store and it's on a store shelf and it's really, really exciting.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: That just is so cool. I could see, I mean, that's like your baby. It's kind of like those are those who practice with patients. When you see that patient make this change to their lifestyle or their health outcomes, you're proud of it. You're like, I was part of that. So that's equally exciting for those who work in this industry, in the CPG space of like, I helped formulate that from start from ideation all the way to full product. And that's

Sara Cano: time.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: only in the beginning. mean, now that you've been there several years, you're like finally probably, you know, moving things along across the way. And I just what, what a fun gig. Like I just, I'm so jealous. I'm like, I want that job. ⁓ it's so fun. So what suggestions or tips you have for someone who's interested in this space, like maybe in the consumer package, good space, maybe in like the R and D, ⁓ maybe of how do you like get this as a first time job, right? You didn't come from like an extensive background. So any tips or advice?

Sara Cano: Yes, I think it's really neat for dietitians to be in this space. And it's really fun when you get to meet a dietitian in this space. I recently met a dietitian who works for Perry's. So it's an ice cream company up north and we connected at a conference and it just felt like you immediately found a friend when you see someone. And so it's really cool. And I think dietitians really get to offer a unique perspective into food industry. And so I really love that. And so I just really recommend people to just reach out. I feel like everyone in the dietetics world as well as the food industry world is so open to receiving just questions or wanting to meet up with you virtually like even us connecting over LinkedIn and just getting to meet up from there and everyone's so friendly and so I really encourage just to start asking ⁓ and then also just start expanding your network because I got this job through just knowing people at the right time and I'm so grateful for it and so really just you never know when you're gonna need to lean back on an old connection or an old friend from your internship program or something like that. So just really being curious, I curiosity will carry you along.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Well, tenacity and network. mean, you talk, it was one of my favorite things about Dr. Karen Beathard, which she is episode one. She has a long time friend. She's a mentor of mine. We have, we started the RD mentorship program together to really allow nutrition students and dieticians to connect all over the U S to see that there's so many different career fields. And I think that's, it was slowly planted the seed to what now this podcast is what it is today is like, that's one of my passions is how do we showcase all these really cool niche careers that to your point, a dietician is an added asset to all these companies and they may not know that it's an asset. mean, Bluebell did, obviously you had dieticians on staff already, but I think there's a lot of the food industry, the supplement industry, the beverage industry to be able to bring on dieticians to really have this science role. but then also like here's maybe what a consumer would want, right? Because we work with people all day and we look at product of nourishing people. And Bluebell is part, and you know, an ice cream is part of nourishment. ⁓ I can't even imagine, you know, I remember back from my undergrad, I was sitting in, in class, and I don't even remember this girl's name, but I was sitting in class and I was eating an Oreo. And she was like...

Sara Cano: Mm-hmm.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: how are you gonna be a dietician and eat an Oreo? And I was like, I'm like, how are you gonna be a dietician and shaming me for eating an Oreo? You know what I mean? Because to me, all foods fit. And so I do think there's so much power to dieticians and nutrition experts, both on the food science side and on the nutrition side to come together and do the work that you do.

Sara Cano: I don't need to know. Thank you again. Mm-hmm. Yes, and I feel like our Proline was a really cool example of that because when we were making it, it wasn't just for JLP one users. We wanted it to just kind of be a product that anyone could eat, whether they were a gym goer and they wanted a little bit of extra protein or someone just wanted to swap out a treat at night for a more nutrient dense option. And I feel like there is space to have the indulgence, but then also to have something that's a little bit more nutritionally complete as well. And dairy in general is just such a great source of protein, of vitamins and minerals. And so, yes, I could talk about it for long time, but there's definitely space for ice cream and Oreos in the diet.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: totally agree. And if someone ever told me this was also something when I was a faculty member, I was like, don't ever tell people what they can and can't eat because you will lose them right away. Like if someone told me I couldn't eat my Oreos, which I have the secret obsession of Oreos or Bluebell, I would not listen to you because like you're not understanding where I'm coming from and the direction I want to go. So yeah, I think there's a lot of opportunity. Okay. My favorite question, and maybe you can give us some

Sara Cano: Thank

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: You can't tell us what's coming, but maybe how you think of new flavors too. If you had a crystal ball, Sarah, what do you think is coming next in nutrition?

Sara Cano: So there's kind of a running joke in the food industry because right now protein is all the craze right now and kind of the joke is that fibers on its way. So I think we've already seen that a lot with products on the market. You're seeing the protein claims but the fiber claims being coupled with it. But I think in general in the nutrition landscape, I was at a conference recently and it was just really neat to hear that one of the marketing ladies They shared some data in that I think consumers are just really more aware of nutrition labels and packaging and they're wanting to eat what's healthy for them and they're wanting food companies to be the ones to help educate them. So I think we're going to start hopefully seeing a shift to maybe food companies being part of the nutrition education that happens in America now. As well as fiber, I think that's going to grow as well. But also I think ⁓ food industry is going to start playing a bigger role. I hope at least, in just educating consumers.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: sounds like you got your work cut out for you in R &D to do a fiber and protein rich cereal that tastes good, that holds up in structure. that would be, that's not an easy task people. For people who've ever sat in R &D, some of these changes take years. It's not like I think of the idea and it just gets executed right away. So that is really interesting. And I agree. I do see, you know, and several people who've come on the show have said that. fiber, what is that going to look like? Is it going to be an added ingredient or people going to want quote unquote original sourcing of fiber? Well, it's too early to tell that. But I like what you said on the second part of like in my mind, all I'm thinking is, my gosh, career opportunities for nutrition professionals. Right. If consumers are looking for more transparency, more nutrition education, more better for you product.

Sara Cano: Yeah. and I'm

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Who better than nutrition professionals to bridge that gap between marketing and R &D, right? So that's really fascinating. I hope so. And if you're listening, reach out to companies, tell them what you offer. You may not have this in-depth experience like Sarah's coming straight out of internship, right? But what you do have is you have your network. You have all the knowledge and skills as nutrition professionals. So we have to be able to pitch ourselves to have a seat at the table.

Sara Cano: I'm sorry.

Kristen Hicks-Roof PhD, RD: Well, Sarah, thank you so much for being on the show. was awesome having you on. My mouth is watering. I think I might go get some. have two ⁓ half gallons of Bluebell in my freezer because my kids love it. So thank you so much for being on the show. If you like the podcast, make sure you like, subscribe, leave a review. But most importantly, check out the next episode because every episode I bring on a different dietitian and nutrition professional to share their experience and give you tips and advice on how to be successful.

Sara Cano: ⁓ but...