Cynthia is a food science researcher with the Conestoga Food Research & Innovation Lab (CFRIL).  Cynthia has spent the last 25 years in the food industry, primarily in product development, with experience in thermal processing, vendor management and sensory science.  In her role with CFRIL, Cynthia works directly with industry partners ensuring that research activities maintain a high-quality standard and that industry partners are fully engaged in the research process. 

Cynthia is a graduate of the University of Guelph’s food science (co-op) program. She also holds a certificate in technical writing and is a Six Sigma Level 2 Green Belt.  

Having worked for several mid-sized and large food production companies, she has hands-on experience from product concept through to launch. Cynthia has developed or improved over 500 products, which can be found in grocery stores and restaurants across the country.  

At M&M Food Market, Cynthia transformed the company’s diverse portfolio to ensure that every one of the 450 products met the commitment of “no artificial flavours, colours, preservatives or partially hydrogenated oils” by working with over 40 vendors to reformulate them.   

While working at Maple Leaf Foods, she was a key member of the team that reformulated over 1300 SKUs in 18 months to increase the level of food safety after the listeria recall.   

At The Original Cakerie, Cynthia led a multi-million-dollar RFP project that involved four facilities in two countries spanning across 20 ingredients.