Meghan Dillon, MS, RDN

When Meghan Dillon ’18 enrolled in Russell Sage College’s nutrition science bachelor’s program, she envisioned working in what is known as “clinical” nutrition, providing dietary guidance to individuals or groups with specific health goals. Then, as she completed the education and internship required to become a Registered Dietitian, she discovered the regulatory side of nutrition — and found her professional niche.

Shortly after earning her Registered Dietitian credential, Dillon joined meal delivery service HelloFresh, where she performed nutrition analysis and developed accurate nutrition labels for its products. Since September 2024, she’s worked for baby food brand Gerber, where she ensures the regulatory compliance of Gerber’s snack products. 

In the following Q&A, she discusses her work, how Russell Sage prepared her, and how she shares her expertise with current RSC students.

You’re the senior regulatory and scientific affairs specialist at Gerber. Please tell me more about that!

I’m responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance of the products in our Gerber snacks portfolio. It requires that I provide support from inception through launch of our new snack products. 

I’ll walk you through what that looks like. I start by providing guidance on safe amounts of certain components for infants to consume. Recently, I was talking a lot about safe amounts of ethanol in vanilla extract, for vanilla flavor. 

I then perform nutrition analysis, produce nutrition facts panels for our products, and work cross-functionally to develop claims that are truthful and non-misleading. I ensure compliance with FDA regulations for our packaging, including font size.  I actually measure some components on our product packaging to make sure that it is compliant.   

I submit products and manage documentation to support organic certifications and make sure that our information is accurately communicated on the website.

I’m in Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C. We work with policy and regulation, so it’s really cool to be near the Capitol where regulations are being proposed. 

I think of my job as the legal side of nutrition. It’s funny because my dad is a judge, my sister is a lawyer, my grandfather was a lawyer, and I’ve landed in this part of nutrition, where I am looking at laws and regulations and applying them to the food world. 

Was the legal, policy, and regulatory aspect of nutrition always your goal?

It was not! As a bachelor’s student, I wanted to work in dialysis and a couple experiences that I had helped me realize that wasn’t the path for me. 

Then, during my Dietetic Internship, which is the supervised practice required for anybody who wants to become a Registered Dietitian, I gained experience using software to assess the nutritional compliance  of school district meals with National School Lunch Program standards. It was more of a desk job, but still about food and nutrition. I loved it!

What attracted you to the nutrition field to begin with?

I actually wanted to be a chef. I went to a large high school, with a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef who taught us classes in a professional chef’s kitchen. I took those classes with the intent of going to the CIA, and again, I gained experience that made me realize maybe this wouldn’t be the right path for me. For the final class, we created a restaurant for the teachers. We created a menu, decorated the classroom, and it was so hot and sweaty, everyone was yelling.  

Separately, the father of someone I was babysitting was a chef. He had to work holidays, nights, there wasn’t a lot of work-life balance for him.  

Those experiences coupled together made me think, OK, I don’t want to be a chef, but I do really like working in food. I was interested in health. The marriage of food and health led me to nutrition.

And what attracted you to Russell Sage College for your bachelor’s in nutrition?

There aren’t a ton of nutrition programs in New York state, and I wanted to stay in New York. Russell Sage was two hours from where I grew up in Dutchess County. 

While at Sage, former professor Colleen McCrief was a great guiding light. I don’t know if I would have taken some professional leaps if it wasn’t for her. That’s the thing about Russell Sage, professors get to know you on a personal level, what you are capable of, and push you outside of your comfort zone.

I started Sage shy, and I graduated feeling empowered. I found my voice, I was even  class president! And that experience — working with budgets, events, public speaking — all helped me build transferable skills that significantly helped me going forward.

And you teach an online nutrition class at Russell Sage now! What do you enjoy about that role?

I teach a nutrition management course offered in the fall at Russell Sage. It is a required class for nutrition majors and applicable for the RD exam, since a significant portion of the RD exam is management-related. 

I learned about the opportunity from a former classmate, and I reached out to the department chair, who remembered me. That kind of networking is another attribute of Russell Sage, that comes from strong relationships, small classes, and professors who know you.

My favorite part of teaching is connecting with students. It invigorates me in my work in the field!

Is there anything you would like to add?

Sage holds a special place in my heart. I owe much of who I am today to the support I had there. 

The nutrition profession is a vast world with numerous opportunities to find what you love! I am always willing to talk to anyone interested in a career in nutrition, especially on the regulatory side.