Fort Collins, CO – June 15, 2023 — As the nation’s leading food allergy solutions company, MenuTrinfo has enlisted Rick Calk as an Executive Advisor to explore growth and expansion opportunities for many of the company’s existing verticals.
Through a private consulting and advisory business, Rick has a bevy of experience, none more relevant than his stint as the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Neogen Corporation. Neogen helped develop and market products that were dedicated to food safety, among many others. With this experience, he was able to lead Neogen to powerful economic growth, totaling over $400M in revenue.
“My most fundamental goal is to help MenuTrinfo accelerate their growth,” Calk said. “The best way to do that is by moving to new market verticals where they MenuTrinfo has not been exposed, and to gain that exposure as quickly as possible.”
Having met with MenuTrinfo CEO and Founder Betsy Craig, the two quickly realized there was an opportunity for the company to find themselves in markets to increase activity and awareness. By seeing space to improve food processing and ingredients, these industries could utilize tools and training that MenuTrinfo brings to those markets, respectively.
“The experience, knowledge, and winning attitude that Rick brings are the perfect match for MenuTrinfo,” Craig stated. “We have made incredible progress with our business since starting as an idea from a Facebook message to now being the gold standard for nutritional help desks for more than 80 well-known brands. We are also the nation’s first ANAB accredited food allergy and Gluten-Free training program.”
Craig mentions that MenuTrinfo is also changing the path for food allergy identification on CPG and ingredients for manufacturers and copackers across the US and beyond.
“Looking for guidance and support for the business to scale on a bigger level led me straight to Rick’s door and also helped to know the Neogen name, products, and success as one of the test kit companies we have been referring to,” Craig continued. “Since MenuTrinfo began with Cornell University, Certifying their dining hall Free From Tree Nut, Peanut and Gluten in 2017.
With Certification Services on the rise in the food allergy space, understanding MenuTrinfo’s unique positioning as a player in the space was huge for Calk. With soft claims running rampant among CPGs and manufacturers, there is a strong need for a third-party verification, such as Certified Free From or AllerCheck.
“People are looking to outsource these services, and our company is a truly unique force to be able to offer these accredited certifications,” Calk said. “We want to become partners with companies, so they know they can rely on our brand and our services to ensure their soft claims are legitimated and well-documented.”
A huge proponent of a “Simplify and Focus” approach, Calk knows that it’s imperative to fill the greatest needs of the food allergy sector in the shortest amount of time possible. For customers and diners across the country, creating an ease and confidence in options is a huge focus for the company.
“I’ve been doing this for a while, and I have identified where there are opportunities for us to do things and serve potential customers even more significantly than we have been,” Calk said. “It’s important to communicate to facilities and manufacturers how vital what MenuTrinfo does is to this industry, and it is a benefit to be able to take advantage of these tools and resources.”
For small businesses, it can be difficult to have the resources, personnel and simply put – feet on the ground to get messaging and brand awareness out, and that remains the biggest focus for the MenuTrinfo team, as well as Calk, who sees the team’s knowledge and experience as its biggest strength moving forward.
“MenuTrinfo’s greatest asset is their collective thought leadership. They have a team of experts who have demonstrated as much in the allergy-free space,” Calk said. “This team knows what they are talking about, are able to strongly support the claims they make, and can be relied upon day in and day out.”
About MenuTrinfo:
MenuTrinfo® is a company dedicated to ensuring safe food service by providing allergen and nutritional information, as well as programs such as Certified Free From™, AllerTrain® and a wide variety of services for colleges, universities, manufacturers of consumer-packaged goods, and more. We excel in employee food allergy training and certification, as well as food safety guidance and menu consulting. MenuTrinfo® has become a trusted partner for food service partners and manufacturers across the United States, and the company’s mission is to protect lives and make dining experiences as safe as possible for those with allergy restrictions.
Contact: marketing@menutrinfo.com
