It wasn’t a lifelong dream for Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD, to become a dietitian. Her father is a commercial airline pilot, so it was a natural choice to take flying lessons and pursue a pilot’s license after high school. It wasn’t until she got to Cornell University for her bachelor’s degree and took a nutrition class that opened her eyes. She also played tennis and noticed that other college athletes paid a lot more attention to what they were eating. It was a “wake up moment” that sparked her interest in nutrition and led her to a fulfilling career in the dietetics field.

Now Ruhs has spent her career turning overlooked foods into household favorites, most notably helping avocados grow into a staple on American plates. In her latest career move, she’s the director of nutrition affairs and communications for USA Pears. In the role, she’s using that same mix of research, marketing and creative storytelling to boost pear consumption across the country. In this edition of RD Close Up, Ruhs explains how she got her start in dietetics, why she gravitates toward underrepresented food organizations and what it takes to change the way Americans think about fresh produce.

Q. Describe your role.

A. I’m the director of nutrition affairs and communications for USA Pears. Day to day, my work is never the same, but the ultimate goal is to help transform consumption and get people thinking about and eating more pears. It’s similar to how I started in the avocado industry. Back in 2013, avocados weren’t the household staple they are today, but during my decade in that industry, per capita consumption tripled from under 3 pounds to over 9 pounds today. That experience informed me a lot about how to influence consumer behavior around fresh produce. Now with USA Pears, I’ve spent my first six months learning the industry, understanding how pears have been marketed and diving into consumer research to find out who eats pears, how, when and why. We’ve learned that adults under 35 generally aren’t eating pears, so I’ve been exploring strategies to keep pears top of mind and remove barriers.

Similar to avocados, pears share some similar challenges because people don’t fully understand their benefits or know when they’re ripe (or best to eat). Unlike avocados, in the pear industry, we’ve got 10 unique pear varieties to market, each with their own flavor and ripening patterns. Although the Bartlett pear is among the most popular and changes color as it ripens, there’s several other varieties, including Bosc and Anjou that don’t change color as they ripen and many people like eating them firm or crisp. Also, there’s pear choice for specific culinary applications as well. If you want to put pear slices on a pizza, for example, a beautiful Bosc pear is an ideal choice because they hold up in baking and get sweeter as they cook. A big part of my work right now is education, helping people understand pears, different varieties and recognizing their culinary versatility and nutrition potential. In many regards, avocados were easy to promote in comparison to pears. But I love a challenge, so I’m just getting started!

Q. Why did you want to work in commodity board dietetics?

A. I didn’t know a thing about commodity boards until I worked as a retail dietitian. While working as a corporate supermarket dietitian, I gained a much greater perspective of the food industry landscape — from large food companies with multiple brands, to smaller food entrepreneurs and emerging natural or “better for you” brands (such as Kind Bar before it was a household name), to commodity boards and trade associations. As a supermarket RD, it was natural that I wanted to promote healthier products to consumers — in fact, that’s precisely what the job is all about. However, supermarkets are running a business, and to promote products, it needs to be something customers want to buy.

The marketing program I ran as a supermarket dietitian was supported (funded by vendors) which is how most products are promoted anyways by retailers. While most commodity boards don’t have large budgets to fund retail promotions and market to consumers, most do have a sales team that visits retailers to set up promotions. I worked with the California Avocado Commission and that’s what led me to partner with other boards, including the Hass Avocado Board or the “mothership” of the avocado industry, the Egg Nutrition Center, the Mushroom Council, the California Walnut Board, the United Soybean Board and many others. Most recently, I've been working for an international trade association in New Zealand representing Manuka Honey Producers. Health enthusiasts are crazy about mānuka honey. But what's the story behind that? I gravitate toward organizations that have some kind of story that needs to be told from a credible nutrition and health expert.

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

A. After nine years working for Avocados From Mexico, my contract ended in 2023 and I was lucky to have cultivated relationships in this space. Working for a commodity board is a niche experience because there are specific rules and regulations that impact marketing communications as well as how they operate in general – from how their budgets work, how they support scientific research and how and why they work with credentialed nutrition expert influencers. For RDs that have worked in this space before, it’s often easier to get hired by another commodity board because that knowledge is transferable. While it wasn’t easy to land my new job with USA Pears, my prior work experience was extremely valuable! I was also fortunate to get positive recommendations from others that worked with me in the avocado industry. I’m thrilled to work for USA Pears and to have the opportunity to help the more than 700 U.S. grower families and partners in making pears the next fresh produce sensation!

Q. What do you like about it?

A. It’s gratifying work to promote foods that are beneficial for health and so vastly under consumed. I love the challenge of it too. I’ve got a growth mindset, so whenever I’m learning, I’m growing both personally and professionally. Diving into nutrition research and market research to understand the food product better is something that I would probably do even if I wasn’t being paid. It’s a dream to get paid to do this kind of work.

Q. Why did you want to work in dietetics?

A. I didn’t know dietetics or nutrition was a profession before I went to college. I was raised on cookies and milk and was overweight as a child, so I was teased a lot growing up. Those childhood experiences may have ultimately led me on this path to help others even if I didn’t grow up dreaming about being a dietitian.

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

A. Breaking the perception of what a dietitian is and what a dietitian can do. I often say I’m a reluctant dietitian. I’m proud of my credential and the profession, but I don’t seek out roles specifically for registered dietitians. I think dietitians too often box themselves in, when instead we should look for ways our skills can add value to roles like brand manager, category manager or business development. Most people in those jobs didn’t plan that path; they found it through experience. Dietitians should do the same. When I took a job in sales (selling fresh produce) for a year, it taught me so much about the supply chain and reminded me just how powerful my dietetics background fits into business and retail. It’s about how you use and apply your nutrition knowledge — I refer to these as my “ninja skills” — nutrition has added value to every job I’ve held.

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

A. That more education and initials do not necessarily guarantee more job security. If I had known I could work for a large food company that would pay for a graduate degree in the future, I probably could’ve saved myself a lot of debt and perhaps would have pursued a different degree altogether, such as an MBA or something other than another nutrition degree.

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

A. I would say relationships. Cultivating relationships and expanding your network because you never know who and where it may lead you. Be curious about other people and their career paths. I also think it’s important to be a resource/mentor as well.

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

A. I started the first retail dietitian symposium in 2009, which I would say planted the seed for RDBA and then ARC. I gathered a small group of retail dietitians in Scottsdale, Arizona, while I was working for a supermarket chain. The goal was to learn from others and to collaborate with other RDs and organizations that were aligned. I had invited a non-profit, Oldways, to that initial gathering and ended up partnering with them in hosting eight consecutive annual events from 2010-2018. Around that same time, I pitched a column to Progressive Grocer to write on topics from a dietitian’s perspective. Now, more than a decade later, I’m still writing that column and have created opportunities for other dietitians in this space. I’m proud of my contributions to retail dietetics and for helping to bring awareness to the value RDs can add to the food industry at large. While the retail dietetics space continues to evolve, I love that I played a role in bringing RDs together to form lifelong friendships that continue to flourish and have expanded opportunities in retail, food and the health space for many more dietitians.

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

A. I think what’s happening right now in nutrition is exciting because the science continues to evolve. When I started my career, the fad was all about low fat and no fat. Who knew I’d be the “good fat” dietitian promoting avocados to the masses? As consumer interest in health and wellness gains momentum, the future is bright for credentialed RDs. As the science of nutrition evolves, it’s important for our profession to find alignment in how we communicate more nuanced information. It’s also important for the profession to evolve with modern times. Dietetics education needs an overhaul. Students need exposure to different career paths in the RD field. We need more dietitians working in the food industry, food science, agriculture, marketing, branding — all of it. Consumers need trusted voices.

Bio:

Barbara Ruhs, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and director of nutrition affairs and communications for USA Pears (Pear Bureau Northwest). With experience spanning the fresh produce industry, supermarket retail and operating a nutrition marketing communications agency (MarketRD.com), she specializes in translating science into compelling storytelling that builds brand credibility and drives consumer consumption.

A champion in elevating the expertise of credentialed food and nutrition experts, Barbara has built health professional outreach programs for leading global brands and organizations including Cobram Estate Olives, the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF™) Honey Association of New Zealand and Avocados From Mexico. She launched the first annual Supermarket Dietitian Symposium where her vision continues today in fostering collaboration between dietitians and food industry partners. A longtime contributor to Progressive Grocer magazine, she is a recognized thought leader committed to transforming the food environment for the greater good. She holds a master’s degree from Boston University and a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from Cornell University.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Barbara now calls sunny Scottsdale home, where the sunshine fuels her soul. When she’s not strategizing nutrition campaigns, you’ll find her on the tennis court, out cycling (she once commuted by bike in Boston for 10 years) or in her thriving backyard garden. She grows sunflowers from around the world, citrus trees, figs and even finger limes and passion fruit. Her cat, Dunkin Donuts, supervises it all while “making donuts” instead of biscuits, proving that everyone in the Ruhs household is committed to food innovation.