Comparative Approaches to Nutrition Education and Childhood Obesity Prevention - USA and France

April 2006

Who's "Behind the French Plate"

Amanda Archibald, RD

 Kate Geagan – IT Nutrition

Amanda Archibald, RD

Born in Europe and educated in both the UK and the U.S., Amanda Archibald has dedicated her career to helping experts across the food industry and food education fields gain a deeper understanding of overall health and food concerns, and developing innovative solutions.

Food Education

Amanda’s contribution to the food and nutrition education community is channeled through her nationally acclaimed company, Field to Plate. This innovative company teams with inspired chefs, retailers, food experts, growers, nutrition educators and food interests to produce dynamic food education and food experience forums for public, private and professional organizations. The recent success of Field to Plate’s first international Exchange Forum is testimony to the vision of the company. Amanda remains dedicated to developing educational programs and opportunities that help Americans make meaningful and informed choices about food.

Research and Analysis

For more than a decade, Amanda Archibald has been tracking food, restaurant and health trends throughout the U.S. and Europe.  As a senior analyst for the Mintel Group (London/Chicago), Amanda has been instrumental in the development of Mintel Group's Menu Insights product, tracking menu and forecasting ingredient and flavor trends for the U.S. marketplace. She has also authored many Mintel Group Reports, exploring the arenas of food, health and consumer packaged goods. In addition to her work with Mintel Group, Archibald works with the acclaimed Product Innovation Xchange conference (produced by Vertical Xchange), where she interacts with research and development executives across the food industry spectrum. Amanda's work with Mintel Group, Vertical Xchange and other organizations spanning the food and health supply chain has positioned her as a leader in the field of food and food trending information.

Speaking

Beyond the many continuing education programs for dietitians that Amanda has developed and implemented under her Field to Plate brand, Amanda has been a frequent speaker at American Dietetic Association affiliate meetings and practice group events in both the USA and Europe. During 2005-2006, Amanda has spoken at the following national and international food industry and agricultural events: International Food Expo,  London, Worldwide Food Expo, Chicago, Fancy Food Show, San Francisco,  Ecological Farming Association, Pacific Grove, Healthy People 2006, Loma Linda, Women in Agriculture Symposium, Washington DC She was also a member of an esteemed panel of food industry experts presenting at the 2006 Institute of Food Technologists conference in Orlando.

Kate Geagan MS, RD

Kate is an award winning dietitian who was named Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year by the Massachusetts Dietetic Association for 2004. She is co-director of IT Nutrition LLC, a nutrition company specializing in corporate wellness programs, consulting and media spokesperson work. Kate is a nationally known speaker and has worked with dozens of companies to develop nutrition-related programming for their employees, such as Sun Microsystems, Reebok International, Goldman Sachs and Citistreet. She has served as a trusted nutrition expert for many media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Prevention Magazine, and NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX news affiliates.

Kate's passion for the Mediterranean diet and a European sensibility about food has been a hallmark of her career. Prior to forming IT Nutrition LLC, Kate spent two years living in Florence, Italy working at the Mangia Culinary School, and has since developed and taught a summer course on the Mediterranean Diet in Italy for Simmons College.

Kate graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College. She received her Master's degree in Nutrition and Health Promotion from Simmons College, and was awarded the Outstanding Student Award. She has held several leadership positions in local, state, and national dietetics, and currently serves on several advisory boards for companies with a nutrition and wellness focus.