It’s What We Do

We improve dialogue and understanding between the food and agriculture industry and consumers by gathering insights, translating science, and providing sound strategic counsel fueled by generations of agrarian acumen and decades of scientific and business expertise. We call in the right partners to address client-specific challenges.

Strategic Consulting

  • Strategic counsel on food, nutrition and agriculture issues
  • Meeting facilitation and strategic thinking
  • Thought leader dialogues

Policy & Consumer Insights

  • Consumer research development and interpretation on global food issues and consumer behavior
  • Food and nutrition science translation for non-agricultural audiences
  • Domestic and international food and nutrition policy counsel

Communications

  • Written communications for professional and lay audiences
  • Platform/public speaking on food, agriculture and consumer insights
  • Media interviews

It’s What the AgriNutrition Edge Delivers

  • Rooted in agriculture – born, bred and family farm owner
  • Credentialed in nutrition and health
  • Steeped in consumer insights
  • Experienced in the food policy arena
  • Polished in national level affairs with government, industry, academia and allied health groups
  • Cultured in international relations with government, industry, academia and allied health groups
  • Cultivated professional networks across spectrum of food systems
  • Skilled group facilitator and strategic planner
Marianne Smith Edge
Marianne Smith Edge, MS,RDN, LD, FADA,FAND
Founder/Principal

It’s Based on Experience

Marianne is an agriculture native and 6th generation farm owner living with the values and appreciation of the food-farm connection since the day she was born and advancing science and nutrition thought leadership for her entire professional life.  As a seasoned guide with a network of experienced professionals, Marianne helps food and agriculture companies find their path through the changing and complicated consumer food environment and serves as a translator between the consumer and the food/ag space, bringing understanding and insights to each entity.

Prior to founding The AgriNutrition Edge, Marianne served as Senior Vice President, Nutrition & Food Safety Communications and Senior Advisor, Science & Consumer Insights for the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in Washington, DC. Before joining IFIC, she was the owner of MSE and Associates, LLC providing strategic nutrition consulting services for the food and healthcare industry. Marianne brings over 30 years of experience to her clients as an experienced communicator, strategic planner, and facilitator. She is a nationally and internationally recognized speaker in consumer insights and food systems issues, in addition to being a featured speaker at major international nutrition and food conferences and U.S. professional societies and trade organizations.

Marianne is a former president of The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and a member of the Institute for Food Technologists (IFT) and the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). She served two terms on the USDA National Research, Extension, Education, & Economics Advisory Board, the advisory board to the Secretary of Agriculture. In 2015, Marianne was one of the four nutrition “voices” at the U.S. Pavilion Expo Milano and a member of the eight-member Presidential delegation to the Expo Milano USA Day July 4th celebration.

Marianne holds a Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics from the University of Kentucky where she was a former member of the Board of Trustees. She has a master’s degree in public health-nutrition from Western Kentucky University and earned a certification in Appreciative Inquiry from the Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University.