Kinsa Group Blog

What’s the number one health crisis confronting our country?

Despite what you may think, it’s not cancer, heart disease or high blood pressure.  It’s obesity.  According to an announcement accompanying the official 2010 Dietary Guidelines:

“More than one-third of children
and more than two-thirds of adults in the U.S.
are overweight or obese.”

These sobering statistics have made the obesity epidemic a prime target of the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee.  This year’s guidelines, presented as a six chapter document released January 31, tackles obesity head-on with the following recommendations:

• Enjoying food, but eating less (i.e., avoiding over-sized portions);
• Balancing calories to manage weight;
• Balancing calorie intake with exercise;
• Eating more and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, especially beans, peas and dark green, red and orange vegetables;
• Consuming more whole grains and low-fat or fat-free milk;
• Drinking water instead of sugary drinks;
• Eating a wider variety of seafood and other lean proteins;
• Substituting liquid oil for solid fats, when possible;
• Building healthy eating patterns to stay within calorie limits, meet nutrient needs and reduce chronic disease risk;
• Reducing daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg for most healthy people, and to 1,500 mg for those in higher risk categories.

To view or download the full 2010 Dietary Guidelines Policy Document, follow this link.

According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, “The 2010 Dietary Guidelines are being released at a time when the majority of adults and one in three children is overweight or obese, and this is a crisis that we can no longer ignore.”  Many food & beverage processors agree and have already begun reformulation projects in response to the Report.

The Food & Beverage Processing Industry – Part of the Obesity Solution

Moving forward, the USDA and HHS Dietary Guidelines will challenge food and beverage processors to improve the “overall food environment,” by supporting Americans’ efforts to meet the key recommendations of the Report.  To help solve the obesity epidemic, food and beverage organizations can work with federal, state and local governments to ensure that all Americans have access to the recommended nutrient-dense diet by:

• Increasing nutrition education programs;
• Improving access to affordable fresh produce and food;
• Developing safe, effective and sustainable practices to expand aquaculture to increase the availability of seafood;
• Offering health-promoting foods that are low in sodium, solid fat, added sugars and refined grains;
• Adopting sound policies and responsible practices to prevent foodborne illnesses.

Kinsa Group – Your Food & Beverage Industry Recruiter

For over 25 years, The Kinsa Group has delivered the high performing food & beverage industry professionals your company needs to compete in today’s rapidly changing marketplace.  Simply put, food and beverage recruiting and assessment is all we do.  Contact us today to learn more.

Technology vs. the human touch.

When it comes to your food & beverage job search, which is better?  Job board technology is certainly efficient.  With a few clicks you easily can apply for several jobs in under an hour – all from the comfort of your own home.

But that same efficiency can work against you.  Jobs that are available to you are also available to literally anyone else with an internet connection.  When you submit your résumé, you may be one of dozens, hundreds or even thousands of applicants.  As the number of job posting applicants increases, so does the chance of your résumé being completely ignored.  How efficient is that?

Job boards do serve a purpose in connecting job seekers to employers.  But if you’re serious about your food & beverage career, here are several reasons why experienced, professional recruiters beat job boards – hands down:

Reach the hiring authority – 100% of the time. A good recruiter has the ear of prospective employers and will proactively market you directly to key hiring decision makers.  Recruiters keep your best career interests in mind and ensure your skills, experience and personal brand are presented in the best light possible to potential employers.

Access the “hidden” job market. Many food & beverage employers know that they have greater hiring success when working with a recruiter.  These companies rely on search professionals to handle the time-consuming legwork associated with finding the best candidates and skip the job board route altogether.

Get inside information on employers and their hiring practices. If you are interested in a particular employer, a recruiter can use his knowledge of an employer’s hiring processes (including interviewers’ personalities and interviewing styles) to help you successfully navigate obstacles.  Likewise, he can provide valuable insight on a company’s corporate culture, helping you more accurately evaluate career opportunities.

Maintain job search control. A top performer who plasters his résumé all over every job board may suffer unintended (and unwanted) consequences.  Unethical staffing services may find your résumé on a job board and submit it without your approval or begin hounding you with phone calls.  With a good recruiter on your side, you can maintain control over your résumé and work with a single point of contact.

Manage job search anxiety. For many, finding a new position is extremely stressful.  Recruiters are experts at the process and can help guide you through the nerve-wracking process of interviewing.  By working with a recruiter you also enjoy peace of mind, knowing that you have someone else on your job search team.

Get a personal advocate and partner in your job search. In most cases (retained searches being an exception), recruiters aren’t compensated unless they actually place candidates.  Unlike a job board, we have a vested interest in ensuring the success of your job search.

Protect your privacy. If you think your current employer won’t find out you’re actively seeking another job, think again.  Many employers set up automatic search agents on major job boards which notify them if their employees are preparing to make a move.  When you work with a recruiter, you can rest assured that you will be represented anonymously, and that your job search will remain confidential.

Access contract opportunities. If you are out of work and open to contract work, recruiters can place you in project-based opportunities that get your foot in the door and may even lead to direct employment.

The Kinsa Group – The Human Touch in Food & Beverage Recruiting

Technology is an important component in your job search, but nothing replaces the human touch.  To us, you’re more than just a résumé or an application.  You’re a critical component of our success.

We listen and take a real interest in matching you with an opportunity that suits your unique skills, needs and interests.  Contact a Kinsa recruiter today to learn more about executive and management career opportunities in the food & beverage industry.

Let’s be honest – finding the right food & beverage management or executive opportunity is hard work.

Today’s food & beverage job hunt is about more than just posting résumés and calling a few professional contacts.  Finding the right opportunity involves a combination of online brand building, working closely with specialized professional recruiters, networking with second and third generation decision makers, and good old-fashioned hard work.

But like most things in life, the more time and effort you put into your job search, the greater your chances of success.  So as you start the New Year, get organized, get down to business and make finding a job a full-time job:

• Determine what type of job you really need to continue your career development and set some short- and long-term goals to get you where you want to be.  Let these goals drive a prioritized to-do list, broken into manageable, productive job-search tasks.  You’ll be much less vulnerable to distractions if you stick to this list and track goal attainment.
• Devote time to job-search activities in proportion to their importance.  Blanketing food & beverage companies with digital résumés rarely produces results proportionate to the effort expended – so manage time spent on this activity carefully.  While it may be easier than interviewing with a food & beverage recruiter, or face-to-face networking, it’s not the most productive use of your time.
• Establish a daily routine that simulates a work day.  Get up early, exercise (if that’s your routine), shower and get dressed.  You don’t need to don a suit, but dress nicely enough to make yourself feel both positive and productive.  Take a look at your prioritized to-do list, establish a game plan for the day and tackle your highest priority tasks first.  Before you end your job-hunting day, plan out the next.
• Schedule informational interviews.  While they may not lead to immediate job offers, this low-stress form of networking can be a high-yield career networking tool. 
• Work with the Kinsa Group, national food and beverage industry recruiting specialists.  When you work with Kinsa, you have access to opportunities with leading food & beverage employers nationwide – many of which are not advertised elsewhere.  If you haven’t already registered with us, you can get started right now.  And if you are currently registered, remember these quick tips to maximize the value we provide:

Send your updated résumé to Kinsa.  Have you gained new skills, experience or responsibilities since you first sent us your résumé?  If so, please let us know so that we can update your profile and consider you for additional opportunities.

Check out our HOT Jobs.  These are open food and beverage jobs for which Kinsa Group is actively seeking qualified candidates to interview right now.

Search all of Kinsa’s open jobs periodically.  Set-up a regular reminder in Outlook, on your Blackberry, or in any other scheduling software you use.  We receive new openings daily and update our job board frequently.

Make sure you’re receiving Kinsa Group’s e-mail alerts.  To be sure you receive timely alerts about suitable positions, make sure that our e-mails aren’t going to your Spam folder.

According to a recent article by The Washington Post, the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act has generated plenty of lobbyist activity.  Since the bill was introduced at the beginning of last year, at least 221 industry organizations have hired 77 lobbying shops to represent their interests.

Spurred by a series of nationwide food recalls and outbreaks of food-borne illness, the food safety bill would give the FDA considerably more authority over the industry in order to reduce outbreaks of food-borne illness.

Smaller, more specialized firms with insider knowledge of the FDA and the Agricultural Department were in high demand to lobby on the overhaul.  In fact, some industry organizations and corporations hired multiple lobbying firms to represent their interests – because the stakes are so high.

And their work is not done.  Lawmakers are now quibbling over the constitutionality of Senate language that imposes fees on companies for recalled food.  The procedural glitch could ultimately force the Senate to vote on a new version of the bill during the current lame-duck session – and potentially push the legislation to the next Congress.

The Kinsa Group – Food & Beverage Recruiting and Industry Experts

At Kinsa, food and beverage industry recruiting and assessment is all we do.  With over 25 years of experience, we understand your industry and we know how to deliver the top-tier professionals your company needs to succeed.  What can we do for you?