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Alexandra Kelly

Looking back at 2024, and forward to 2025

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We asked members of our team for their thoughts on 2024, and what they’re looking forward to in 2025. Here’s what some of them had to say:

Nolan Lewin
Executive Director
I am looking forward to 2025 at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center as we support niche market entrepreneurs through comprehensive strategies by offering our state-of-the-art facilities for product development and scaling, including the use of our FDA- and USDA-certified rooms to serve as short term pilot plants. We will continue to provide tailored product development assistance, helping create unique offerings like high-end ketchups and functional beverages as well as plant-based alternatives including mycelium mushroom root ingredients. Continuing with our expert market analysis to aid in identifying underserved segments and launching new products. 

Our business mentoring will continue to focus on crafting unique value propositions and pricing strategies. We are, of course, looking forward to our networking events, such as the New Jersey FoodTech Conference, which connects entrepreneurs with industry professionals. The center’s team will continue to provide specialized knowledge in food safety, regulations, and market trends, enabling entrepreneurs to navigate complex niche markets successfully and foster innovation in the food industry.

Joyce Friedberg
Marketing Specialist
Over the past year, we had the opportunity to work on a number of exciting projects. We supported several early-stage entrepreneurs helping to refine / shape their new concepts and products with upfront category overviews, competitive assessments and sensory evaluations. We met with a few international organizations, from places including Jamaica and the UK, to identify opportunities for innovation and growth, mainly within the health and wellness space. And we mentored a talented team of students in the Rutgers MBS program during the fall semester. Their was very impressive, and it was a rewarding experience.  

Looking forward to 2025, I hope to continue to have the opportunity to support our clients, companies / organizations and students and make a positive impact while working with the great team of people at FIC!

Mellonie O’Neill
Senior Manager – QA Compliance and Training
In 2024, a major takeaway was the increasing adoption of digital tools to enhance food safety compliance and training efficiency. From real-time tracking of food safety data to interactive e-learning modules, technology has proven to be a game-changer in ensuring consistency and accuracy. 

Looking ahead, 2025 promises even greater advancements, particularly in leveraging AI for predictive analytics in food safety. Training trends are also shifting toward immersive learning experiences, such as virtual reality simulations, to provide hands-on skills in a controlled environment. By embracing these innovations, we can create safer food systems and empower teams with more effective training methods.

Craig Peck
Senior Manager of Business Development
We saw multiple projects this year with the common product attribute of functionality, or beverages and foods which provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

Our clients continue to manufacture premium beverages and sauces which solve problems for busy consumers by overdelivering on nutrition. We are also continuing to work on alternative proteins, and hybridized alternative protein products, which are solutions for both environmental and consumer pain points around health, wellness, and convenience.

In 2025, I am looking forward to working with our incredible Food Scientists, Food Manufacturing Team, Food Safety Team, and Marketing colleagues to continue to drive new product creation, innovation and economic development in our communities. 

A chat with Mellonie O’Neill, Senior Manager of Quality Compliance and Training

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As the Senior Manager of Quality Compliance and Training, what roles do you play at the Food Innovation Center in helping entrepreneurs and established companies bring new products to market?

Many clients don’t know what they don’t know. My job is to ensure the mixture of foods they put together does not cause a bigger issue that would make people sick. 

Here’s one example: if you have dry meat jerky, and then add a wet fruit to the package, it would change the water activity, which would give it the perfect environment to grow spores. Spores can cause serious illness, and even death for someone who is immunocompromised.

What is the difference between Food Safety and Quality Assurance?  

Food safety: If the manufacturer does not produce the food safely; then someone could be seriously injured or die. These are categorized as SAHCODHA Hazards (SERIOUS ADVERSE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OR DEATH TO HUMAN AND ANIMALS). This includes things like botulism (Clostridium Botulinum), which can occur if food is not produced and handled properly.

Quality assurance: This refers to anything that would affect the consistency of the product, like flavor, color, weight, specs, etc. These won’t hurt the consumer, but they can cause a drop in sales. For example, picture two bottles of the same juice on a store shelf. If they are two different colors, or at two different levels that might deter a shopper from buying.

What about the current state of food safety, in light of all the current news?  

One of the big issues with food safety today is the lack of transparency. Even when contamination is detected, it can be hard to trace where exactly in the supply chain the problem originated. Whether it’s from raw ingredients, processing plants, or even distribution channels, the opacity of supply chains makes it difficult to address problems quickly and efficiently. 

The news cycle on a product recall sometimes includes brands that are added after the initial report. That usually indicates that it was an ingredient that one supplier in the food chain produced that went into many different products, or the issue was bigger than previously suspected. 

Another issue is the understanding of how sanitation — or lack thereof — on surfaces and the surrounding areas can affect the finished product. 

As these stories make headlines, consumers are becoming more skeptical of food safety practices, which can affect buying behavior. With large-scale recalls and new revelations about contamination risks, consumers may start avoiding certain brands or products, or demanding greater transparency about sourcing and safety measures. 

Brands that respond well to these challenges—either through improved safety measures, better communication with consumers, or through independent third-party testing—may see consumer trust rebound, while those that fail to take responsibility might suffer long-term damage.

If there’s one thing a company can prioritize around food safety, what would it be?

Many people underestimate the power of washing their hands, and that how they dress can affect the safety or the spread of an illness. When these guidelines are followed, it greatly reduces the occurrence of pathogens being spread by employees and causing a foodborne illness. 

Are there any trainings which you are currently offering which can help companies assure that they are bringing Food Safety to the forefront of everything which they do?

There are! Details are on our website.

Mellonie provides food safety & regulatory oversight for all products manufactured at the center. She is a member of the Food Safety Training Team, and teaches various food safety courses.

Space available at our Bridgeton NJ facility

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The Food Innovation Center at Rutgers has a rare opportunity available: space for rent in our Bridgeton NJ facility. This 1585 square foot raw processing room can be refrigerated, and it has a HEPA air filtration system, water, gas and electricity, all of which can be placed to individual specifications according to process design. It’s perfect for USDA or FDA processes including production, research and development, and commercialization.  

If you’re interested, please contact Nolan Lewin at nl95@njaes.rutgers.edu. 

FIC Client: Stephanie Bricken of Seraphim Social Beverage

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Tell us about your company and what you make.
Seraphim Social Beverage is a non-alcoholic red wine alternative, mocktail mixer and wellness tonic crafted from organic and wild berries, healing herbs and botanicals. It’s a premium blend, non-sparkling alternative — brewed like a tea, drinks like a red. 

I created it out of a need to cut back on alcohol while still having a complex beverage to enjoy in a fancy glass. A treat to unwind with after a long day, or a drink to enjoy with friends.

What brought you to FIC? 
After I formulated the recipe in my kitchen, I took the finished product, bottled, to Drexel University Food Lab. They tasted it, really liked it, and then recommended I take it to Rutgers Innovation Food Center to scale up.

What did you do with the FIC team?
I started in business development with Craig Peck and Joyce Friedberg who worked on market research and analysis, marketing and branding ideas, and a blind taste test brand comparison to other brands in the non-alcoholic segment. 

This directional sensory work really allowed me to differentiate the product with exceptional taste with the Food Scientists, under the direction of Julie Elmer and Zuri Masud. They helped me reformulate a scalable recipe, to produce in quantity.

We completed several on-going batches of production at each growth stage.  The ability to make product to my demanding specifications  with the production team at the Food Innovation Center was invaluable in growing not only my knowledge as a producer, but also the Seraphim brand. 

What happened as a result of your work with FIC?
I was able to bring the product to market and continue to grow the business.  One highlight was the introduction to the Specialty Food Association,  where I was awarded a SFA SoFi Award for Best New Product in the Alcoholic Beverages + Cocktail Mixes category in 2023.