When Caitlin Rulli, RDN, CDN, was in high school, she knew she wanted to work in healthcare, but not as a nurse and not as a doctor.

“When you’re 17, you think those are the only two options,” Rulli said. She came upon dietetics because she was interested in health and wellness for herself. As she started to explore it, and as she dug into what a dietitian is, she learned the various paths she could take, such as acute care, teaching, working for the government, or as an entrepreneur. Now she works as a retail dietitian at Inserra Supermarkets, Inc.’s ShopRite of Northvale, New Jersey, and loves it.

“My office is where people are making their nutrition decisions for the week,” she said. “To be there at that point of purchase is huge.”

ShopRite dietitians offer free nutrition counseling, cooking classes and seasonal food demos, empowering customers to make informed choices. Whether she’s spotlighting gut-friendly foods or helping shoppers balance their diet, Rulli’s approach is practical, compassionate and inclusive — showing that, yes, even chips can have a place in a balanced life. With her master’s degree in nutrition just around the corner, Rulli’s career is all about making nutrition accessible, impactful and fun for her community. Read below for the full interview.

Describe your role.

I work on a team of a dozen dietitians, and we all work in different stores with several main job functions. We offer free counseling that doesn’t require insurance or payment, which is a great resource for the community. I do cooking classes in-person for kids and adults every month, and the team does virtual classes, as well. We also do events in the store; for example, earlier this year I invited vendors to give out samples and coupons for a back-to-school vendor fair to drive traffic into the store. Each week we do product and recipe demonstrations, and twice a month we do a product spotlight to feature new products and exciting brands to the customers. Recently, I demo’d pumpkin blondies, something really seasonally appropriate for the upcoming holiday. We have associate wellness initiatives, taking care of the people that work in our stores. It could be a step challenge, a hydration station, or a snack to enjoy in the break room on their lunch break.

We also do community events. That could mean classes at the library, presentations at the senior center, or hosting a booth at a health fair. I just gave a presentation to college students about what a retail dietitian does, bringing more awareness to this niche within the profession.

How do you keep yourself unbiased as a dietitian when promoting products?

I think it comes down to the context in which you’re presenting the product. I come from a perspective that all foods fit — if you are eating a generally balanced diet, you can make certain foods work as part of that balanced diet. If you have questions about it, that’s what I’m here for. We also demo products that are “better-for-you.” These are products and brands that pride themselves on having an added benefit. Those are the components that I tend to focus on. If it’s a chip, what makes it better for you? I’m not the dietitian that says, “Never, ever, eat chips for the rest of your life.” If you’re going to eat them, here’s what I recommend, and why.

Why did you want to work in retail?

One day, while wandering around my hometown ShopRite during undergrad, I saw a sign that said “dietitian.” I wandered into the dietitian’s office, introduced myself and said, “I’m a student, can I shadow you?” Amazingly, she said yes, and I spent two months with her. I liked that every day was different. One day we were at the hospital giving a presentation, the next day we had consultations giving advice to shoppers, the day after that we were at a preschool. Every single day would be a new challenge. During my dietetic internship, I specifically asked to be placed in a ShopRite as a rotation. I spent two weeks there, and that reaffirmed my feelings. For the next couple of years, I kept refreshing Indeed until I saw a permanent job posting come up. The pieces all fell together really beautifully. Those two internship experiences with ShopRite definitely helped me adjust to the full-time job.

What do you like about it?

Specifically, what I like about retail is that you get a little bit of everything. I get to do counseling: people come to me to talk about heart disease, diabetes, or weight management. I also love that it’s creative; almost every day I get to come up with ideas for classes and recipes that will engage my community. If I’m doing a presentation or a demo, I can partner with brands for coupons or samples. When I do my cooking classes, I’ll ask my participants, “What do you want to see from me? How can I bring that topic, recipe, or trend to you in a fun, engaging way?”

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

One of the challenges I face is letting people know that I’m there. The people who know that I’m there love the program. Sometimes getting the word out is the toughest part. I work very independently, even though there are 12 dietitians on the team. There’s no one in the store that has a job description close to mine. The challenge is making sure people understand what it is that I’m doing, and the kind of value retail dietitians bring to the space.

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

One thing I wish I would’ve known is how small of a community it is. I knew it was an unusual job and I knew that it was kind of a cool job, but it wasn’t until I started that I saw how small it actually was. Post-COVID, it’s gotten even smaller. So, my dietitian network of people who work in retail, it’s not as big as it once was — it’s niche. I’m lucky that I stumbled upon the field in undergrad, otherwise I never would’ve known it even existed. It’s why I’m so happy I got to present at my alma mater and serve as a preceptor to help expose current nutrition students to retail dietetics. It gives them another arena to explore as they contemplate their career.

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

Before I was a ShopRite dietitian, I did nutrition, cooking and gardening classes for kids. In that role, I didn’t only teach, I also ran the kitchen and did administrative work. I wore a lot of hats, and that job taught me a lot of what makes for a successful nutrition program. How do you engage children in learning about their bodies and their own health? How do you test and analyze recipes, keep your calendar straight and make sure you’re hitting the deadlines you need to hit? All while not burning yourself out? That role gave me a huge foundation that allowed me to continue to be successful at ShopRite. It was instrumental in developing my confidence to handle the independence and creativity that this job requires.

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

I’m most proud of the regular cooking classes that I do. A lot of the dietitians do them; however, I’m proud of them because I like to think I’m covering a variety of topics and I’ve grown more confident as time has gone on. I was really hard on myself at first, I wanted my classes to be perfect. Over time, I’ve grown to be a little bit easier on myself. When it comes to nutrition, cooking is something that I think is very overlooked. I think if you understand basic principles of cookery, you are miles ahead when it comes to your nutrition profile. It’s how we feed ourselves, but not everyone wants to or likes to cook. With cooking classes, whether they’re in-person or online, I can show a new ingredient, a new technique and ease some fears or offer some assurance.

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

One hot topic that’s huge right now is gut health, especially now with added fiber, prebiotics and probiotics in a lot of products. People are all about fermented foods and are really interested in the mind-gut connection. Shoppers have been asking me more about that topic, so I’ve been educating myself and making sure I’m well-versed. I often tell people, a supplement is fine if you need it, but what can we do with your meals? I’m always going to focus on the diet, first.

Bio: Caitlin Rulli, RDN, CDN, works as a retail dietitian at the ShopRite of Northvale, New Jersey. She received her bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Delaware in Newark. She is expected to complete her master’s degree in nutrition from Stony Brook University in New York this December. Before working for ShopRite, she worked as lead nutrition educator at HealthBarn, USA. She completed her dietetic internship at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Originally from Oakland, New Jersey, she currently resides in Westchester, New York with her fiancé.