You may recognize Emily Santanna, M.Ed., RDN, LDN, from a March ARC Health and Wellness Community webinar, but under a different last name. Santanna was recently married and has new insights to share — this time about her career!

A retail dietitian at Weis Markets, Santanna merges nutrition education, community outreach and marketing across a variety of platforms. From employee wellness programs to in-store signage, local media appearances and branded content, her role is fitting as she enjoys being able to connect with people where they shop and eat. Originally interested in secondary education, Santanna’s passion for food and nutrition led her to dietetics. Although retail wasn’t on her radar at first, she quickly found it to be the perfect setting.

In this behind-the-scenes RD Close Up interview, Santanna shares how she got started, what surprised her most about working in retail, the challenges of merging health education with a business mindset and the program she’s most proud of helping grow from the ground up.

Q. Describe your role.

A. I’m one of five dietitians at Weis Markets. We are a family-owned retailer based in Pennsylvania with around 200 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia and Delaware. My role varies day-to-day, but combines nutrition education, community relations and marketing. I assist in coordinating our virtual employee wellness programming, participate in health fairs, community speaking engagements, teach virtual and in-person classes, hold nutrition consultations, create social media videos and appear on local TV. Additionally, I work on a variety of projects including our employee wellness programming, creation of our HealthyBites magazines, pharmacy nutrition signage, nutrition-related marketing activations and brand partnerships.

Q. Why did you want to work in dietetics?

A. When I was in high school, I took many family and consumer science classes. I initially wanted to be a teacher and teach these classes, but at that time, many schools were getting rid of these elective classes. I worried I wouldn’t have a job after college. One of the family and consumer science classes I had in high school was a food related class that covered basic nutrition. Food and cooking have always been a big part of my life, and nutrition seemed to fit that interest. I went to college to study dietetics, thinking I would work in a hospital. After completing my internship, I realized community nutrition was most interesting and eventually found my way to retail.

Q. Why did you want to work in retail?

A. Retail was not on my radar. I had shadowed a local retail dietitian for a day, but in college, many dietetics courses focus on clinical work. Community health jobs were briefly mentioned, but never retail. Retail is the perfect pairing for a dietitian. Why not talk to a food expert in the setting where you’re buying your food? I love my job and the tie between food, pharmacy, community, marketing, everything.

Q. How did you get the job at your retailer?

A. While looking for jobs, I was searching all the typical sites and applying to various positions where a dietitian would “typically” work. After many hospital interviews and discouraged feelings, I came across a dietitian job posting for Weis Markets. I knew from a previous shadowing experience that a retail dietitian job was few and far between. While it wasn’t what I was “looking” for, I figured I would apply. I soon got an interview and was hired. I’ve now been with the company for five and a half years!

Q. What do you like about it?

A. I love the variety. Every single day is different and I get to coordinate my own schedule. Our team is involved in so many areas of nutrition education that there’s always something new happening. Some days I’ll be in the store, other days in the community, other days at home in the kitchen for a class or media segment. The combination of creativity, connection with others and nutrition education makes it an enjoyable job. I’ve been able to use the skills I learned in school, and have learned a lot of retail-specific knowledge along the way.

Q. What has been the biggest challenge for you as a dietitian working in the retail industry?

A. Learning all the retail-specific parts of the job were exciting, but different than anything you learn in school. In my role, we provide nutrition education, but we’re in a setting where sales and marketing are at the forefront. Our team works closely with many departments including marketing and our category managers, so we must keep up with their terminology, inner workings, etc. It’s exciting to be able to provide nutrition education in formats such as social media videos, TV and virtual programs, but we must look at it from an education standpoint and a sales/marketing standpoint as well.

Q. What is one thing you wish you had known before starting your career in retail?

A. I wish I had known more about the wide variety of jobs as a dietitian. Much of the discussion in school was focused on clinical roles. Once I started in retail, I realized how many community groups, food companies, etc. have dietitians. It makes so much sense to have dietitians incorporated into all these areas so we can meet people where they are.

Q. Has there been anything specific that helped you move forward in your role?

A. On-the-job experience gave me the education I needed to succeed in my role. I also have been able to be part of a team that allows each person to work individually and make decisions that work for their coverage area. The variety of the job has allowed me to make connections within the company and with other companies and organizations nearby. The variety has also allowed me to learn about various areas of the company that we are intertwined with. I have had the chance to work on projects with pharmacy, marketing, category managers and much more. I love seeing how we can be involved in other departments and expand nutrition education.

Q. Is there a program or initiative that you are most proud of?

A. In 2022, we began offering in-house employee wellness programming. I began working on the program shortly after and have seen many employees improve their health. We’ve started out helping employees with hypertension and/or diabetes, but are looking to expand to other health conditions. Although the programs are virtual due to the number of stores and corporate locations, we still speak with the employees throughout the program to provide one-on-one education. Seeing employees make small changes and therefore seeing improvements in their metrics, labs, sleep, emotions and overall health has been very rewarding. I love that we can offer the program to our employees and do it fully with our Weis Markets dietitians and pharmacy staff with the support of our HR department.

Q. Have any “hot topics” in the dietetics/nutrition industry impacted the way you do things?

A. I think many of the “hot topics” have made me more mindful to continue educating in an “all foods fit” style. I love being able to help someone realize they can eat their favorite foods and not have to be restrictive. It gives them so much relief and allows them to have a better relationship with food, which often improves their health condition.

Bio:

Emily Santanna, M.Ed., RDN, LDN is the Weis Markets Dietitian for the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, area. She provides nutrition education and overall wellness tips through a variety of formats including conducting virtual classes, one-on-one consultations and local community events. She also appears on social media and local TV delivering nutrition messages and delicious recipes. In addition to customer education, she provides employee wellness programing to Weis associates. Emily completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Delaware, dietetic internship through Keith & Associates distance program and her master’s at Penn State. Emily lives in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with her husband, where she enjoys trying new restaurants, visiting local coffee shops and spending summers at the Jersey Shore. She’s on a lifelong quest to find the best Italian restaurant — and yes, she takes it very seriously.