Reimagining Nutrition for Real Life: Meet Charlene Vallance
Watch this space for more stories celebrating the Associates behind our Food & Nutrition portfolio.
Consumers today want their food to be better – better for their taste buds, better for their health and better for their busy lives. Charlene’s role is to help Mars Food & Nutrition deliver on that reality with food that’s tasty, accessible and healthy. Her career path spans medical science, academic research, pet nutrition, chocolate and food policy. At every stage, Charlene has been guided by one core belief: food should do more than fill us up. It should support our wellbeing.
We caught up with Charlene to learn more about her career journey, her work and the ingredient she believes deserves more attention.
Q: Charlene, what’s your role and what are you focused on right now?
Charlene: I’m a Senior Scientist in Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, focused on nutrition. I work on strengthening the nutrition in our Food & Nutrition products and evolving our Mars Food & Nutrition Criteria to reflect the latest science and our expanding portfolio. We’re focused on creating food that’s tasty, accessible and contributes to everyday health and wellbeing.
Another big part of my role is helping our teams better understand the nutrition in our products and why it matters, to enable our product development and so that our Associates can understand and speak with pride about our portfolio.
Q: You’ve had an intriguing career path. How did you get here?
Charlene: I started out in medical science, but my true passion was always nutrition. So, I went back to school and earned a doctorate focused on gut health and dietary fiber. My Ph.D. focused on gut cell turnover and fiber’s role in our long-term health, which laid the foundation for my science-driven approach to nutrition strategy.
Toward the end of my studies, a professor encouraged me to apply for a job at the Mars Waltham Petcare Science Institute, researching gut health in dogs. It wasn’t something I’d considered, but once I visited and saw the people, the pets and the purpose behind the work, I was hooked. That was more than 25 years ago, and I’ve loved every part of my Mars journey since.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role today?
Charlene: I love that we’re focusing on positive nutrition in Mars Food & Nutrition. We’re building on years of prior work designing nutrition criteria and leading external research to support product innovation and claim substantiation. It’s rewarding to be able to bring that experience to every product conversations today.
For example, we’re reducing sodium across our Ben’s Original™ lines, plus increasing sources of important ingredients, like fiber and protein that help people eat better, such as our new SEEDS OF CHANGE™ Protein Bowls, Ben’s Original Plant Powered products, Ben’s Original™ Protein+ Lentils Ready to Heat, Tasty Bite’s Protein Bowls and Ben’s Original™ Lunch Bowls.
We’re supporting healthier diets by delivering food products people actually enjoy, because they taste so great and are quick to prepare. I also enjoy that we’re offering consumers a solid foundation on which they can build balanced meals. Our products offer plenty of ways they can mix, match and round out meals by adding things like veggies and lean protein. That’s the sweet spot for me: food that nourishes, delights and fits easily into busy lives.
Q: Why is fiber such a big focus for you?
Charlene: Fiber is the unsung hero of nutrition. It supports gut health, satiety, metabolic function, even heart health. But most people still don’t get enough of it. I’d love to see fiber become as popular as protein. That’s part of what I’m working on — helping make fiber more accessible, more desirable and easier to include in everyday meals through the products we create, such as our Tasty Bite Madras Lentils.
Q: What inspires you outside of work?
Charlene: I love anything that helps me stay balanced, like running, walking or yoga. I also enjoy reading and coaching others. Helping people grow into the best version of themselves is something I really care about and enjoy. At home, I try to make healthy food enjoyable for my teenage son. When he was younger, I’d sometimes make silly faces out of his meals just to keep things fun. Nutrition doesn’t have to mean adherence to a super strict diet. It can – and should – bring joy!
