From Foodie to Food Tech?
In my role as a Product Manager for Food Inclusivity, I combine my love for food with striving to make an impact on people’s relationship with food. Food inclusivity is not a clearly defined subject, but I understand it as highlighting options available to those with dietary restrictions, whilst also celebrating diversity and increasing awareness among our colleagues, restaurant partners, and customers.
In this post, I will tell you a bit about how I got into my new role and why I believe that we at Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET) lead the way in positively influencing what people eat on a large scale. I will outline how we help everyone make informed choices about what they eat and thus create a more inclusive food world.
How do you become a food nerd?
People often ask me how I came to study food. The truth is that it has fascinated me since I was a kid, but my relationship with the subject is a rather complicated one.
Since I remember, I could spend hours in supermarkets, always trying ‘the new cool thing’ on the shelf. The most memorable moment for me was when I was 6; I was eating ice cream, outside in 30-degree heat, and a piece of chocolate fell on the pavement. Hours later it was still there, unmelted. It amazed me because I knew that chocolate melts in the mouth, but noone could explain to me why it had not melted in the sun. That’s the day I decided I wanted to understand food.
Later, I developed a very unhealthy relationship with eating and with myself, like many young people do in our society. Still, I found that cooking and baking were the only cures for my severe anxiety at school. Oddly, I was always the kind of person who participated in everything and did well at school in every subject. This made choosing my path very difficult as everyone encouraged me to do something different. Until, one day, I came across a Nutrition and Food Science course — I wrote my personal statement in 15 minutes; it simply called my name. The course was an absolute dream come true and I graduated with multiple awards and a feeling of accomplishment I had never felt before.
From Food Tech to…. Food Tech?
Before joining JET, I pursued a career in Food Technology, working as an International Development Technologist for Sainsbury’s in the UK. I saw the entire process of food development, from a recipe on a piece of paper to an actual product on a supermarket shelf. My job was to make this happen across the country and internationally and ensure that food was safe and of the best quality, it could be. Time spent here will always have a special place in my heart.
Despite that, I could never find a career progression path that suited me in the food industry, and the environment was not ideal for me as a person who has struggled with eating disorders. I decided to explore a new opportunity and make the move to Berlin, Germany, and to the Tech Industry (although still food-focused).
Upon joining JET, I finally felt like I could fully be myself. I have never worked in such an open and supportive environment before. Despite my lack of previous experience in the tech industry, everyone welcomed me and really valued my expertise.
What I’ve learned in my 2 years at the company is that food products and tech products are not exactly worlds apart; although you might not be able to physically touch (or eat) a tech product, each feature needs just as much planning and coordination — as well as skilled stakeholder input and trial & error — as bringing a biscuit to the market. Moreover there is always space for improvement and optimisation.
The power of Just Eat Takeaway.com
I joined the company as a Nutrition Specialist, supporting Data Scientists in developing food-related machine learning models. The product was complex, probably much more than I could have ever anticipated and also more than I could understand. Suddenly, we were dealing with millions of data points — each of them being something a restaurant sold and that people ate every day all over the world.
Then it hit me! Who, if not us, can influence what people eat on such a large scale? How can we leverage our power to help people make the most informed food choices? And how can we help promote healthy food and a healthy relationship with eating? Suddenly, I looked back at one of my least favourite modules at university, Public Health Nutrition, in a completely different light. It changed my entire perspective as I dove into research and discovered my new found passion for the subject.
My new role as a Product Manager focuses on food inclusivity and on improving people’s nutrition and understanding of food. I believe that JET leads by example in food inclusivity thanks to extremely willing and passionate people and encourages employees to utilise their skills and focus on things that truly matter.
Food inclusivity
Despite being a new area of focus for the company, food inclusivity is important to our colleagues, restaurant partners, and customers. To achieve success, we need to get everyone involved and increase loyalty by showing that we care about what’s important to them, whether it’s religious or cultural traditions, dietary restrictions, sustainability-based, or choices related to their physical and mental health.
We all know someone who struggles to order a takeaway or eat out in restaurants because of the limited options and information available; that’s the problem we want to solve. There isn’t much out there in terms of research and guidance so I truly believe that we, at JET, have the opportunity to lead this change in the world. My head is full of ideas and I cannot wait for everyone to see the results.
Just Eat Takeaway.com is hiring globally! Want to come work with us? Apply today
