Meet the Authors

Rinka Banerjee is the Founder and Director of Thinking Forks, a full-stack food and beverage R&D consultancy, and a food innovation leader with three decades of experience across R&D and business. Her career spans extensive experience with Unilever in South Asia, as well as the US food and nutrition businesses of Häagen-Dazs and SlimFast.

With a background in Food Science and Dairy Technology, Rinka brings together scientific expertise, consumer understanding, business strategy, and innovation to help businesses move from ideas to commercially viable products. Her work spans product innovation, nutrition, sustainability, food technology, and the evolving role of digital and AI in food R&D.

A keen observer of the changing food landscape, Rinka writes and speaks on food innovation, consumer behaviour, entrepreneurship, sustainability, food technology, AI, and the future of the food industry. She has been featured across leading business and industry platforms including The Hindu BusinessLine, Mint, Economic Times, India Today, Hindustan Times, YourStory, and People Matters, among others.

Vidya is a Content Strategist and Writer with a strong foundation in food science. She holds a master’s degree in food science and nutrition and began her career with an internship at ITC.

She specializes in translating research, consumer insights, and emerging food trends into evidence-based content that informs, engages, and inspires innovation. Combining scientific expertise with strategic communication, she makes complex topics accessible to diverse audiences.

Vidya has also contributed to strategic content initiatives that have strengthened brand visibility and driven engagement across digital platforms, helping connect brands with their audiences through credible and compelling storytelling.

Food innovation creates its greatest value when people understand the thinking behind it. That belief shapes Sara’s work in food innovation.

Coming from a computer science background, Sara was drawn to the interconnected world of food R&D. Through writing, she explores a journey spanning research, new product development, sensory science, nutrition, regulatory affairs, manufacturing, packaging, shelf-life science, and commercialisation working together to shape what ultimately reaches people’s plates.

Looking ahead, Sara is building towards modernising food innovation communication beyond social media, conferences and journal into knowledge design, AR simulations, and gamified learning to transform how food science is explored, experienced, and remembered in everyday life.

Sara is fond of saying

“Maybe I’m Spider-Man. I get innovation tingles. Somebody has to make sure only the good guys make it to your shelf… and eventually, your tummy.”

Chithra Nair is Chief Executive Officer at Thinking Forks, a full-stack food and beverage R&D consultancy. With over 25 years of experience across food innovation, R&D, business strategy, and organisational leadership, she brings deep industry expertise shaped by her experience with leading organisations including Unilever, ITC, Synthite, and MTR Foods.

Her work sits at the intersection of food science, consumer insight, innovation, and commercialisation, with a focus on translating emerging consumer needs and market opportunities into scalable, market-ready solutions.

Chithra writes and speaks on the evolving food and beverage landscape, including consumer behaviour, health and wellness, protein and nutrition, affordability and the future of food innovation. She recently spoke at CII FoodPro on “Changing Consumer Habits: The Health, Protein & Affordability Pivot,” exploring how shifting consumer expectations are reshaping food innovation.

Kevin Daniel holds an M.Sc. in Food Science with a specialization in Product Development and Nutrition. With a strong interest in functional innovation, food fortification, and plant-based formulations, he is driven by the goal of creating accessible, affordable, and nutritious food solutions for all. His mission is to bridge nutrition science with practical product viability even if it means working deep within the supply chain.

Kevin began his journey with internships at companies like ITC and Omniactive Technology during his undergraduate studies in Biotechnology, and later expanded his global perspective through a hands-on internship at Libre Foods in Barcelona, Spain. This experience sparked his passion for plant-based alternatives. Curious and experimental by nature, he is also a collaborative, innovation-driven, and process-oriented professional who communicates ideas with clarity and intent.

Meera is a food technologist and nutritionist with 25 years of experience in the food industry. She has been involved in food product development for a decade at both M&M Mars Inc. in the United States and Hindustan Unilever (HUL), in India. She headed the Nutrition function for South Asia, in her last corporate role at HUL. She is also a featured contributor for a parenting magazine (ParentEdge) anchoring articles in the health and nutrition space. She has anchored content generation for apps focusing on diabetes and nutrition education for children.

She is passionate about nutrition communication, simplifying nutrition messages for the layperson. She is also a featured contributor for a parenting magazine (ParentEdge) anchoring articles in the health and nutrition space. She has anchored content generation for apps focusing on diabetes and nutrition education for children.

Megha S B holds a solid background in baking sciences and pastry arts, her approach in dessert-making has an exciting blend of culinary artistry and food technology. She’s a true innovator who believes in crafting unforgettable flavor profiles that will genuinely surprise and delight everyone. Her passion lies in demonstrating that even complex, technical creations can be utterly decadent and incredibly tasty.

Palak is a food regulatory and compliance professional with over five years of experience navigating complex food labelling and compliance requirements across the food and beverage industry. She has supported 70+ product launches across multiple categories, bringing expertise in food labelling, claims substantiation and communication, artwork reviews, product compliance, and nutrition guidelines and strategies.

With a background in food science and nutrition, she brings a strong scientific foundation to regulatory decision-making, with experience across FSSAI and FDA guidelines and cross-functional collaboration. Her approach combines scientific rigour with practical understanding of product development and commercial requirements.

Pravin is the Director, Packaging Technology and has over 22 years of experience in R&D packaging. With a sustainable perspective, he is able to effectively handle rigid, flexible, and organic packaging materials. On a national and international scale, he has worked with companies like Unilever, Mars Wrigley, and General Mills. He aspires to make a difference in the Food Industry every day with his analytical attitude.

Shilpa Phadke is a business consultant with over two decades of experience in technology and product management. She currently leads digital platform initiatives at Thinking Forks, designing solutions that address core challenges in food R&D through knowledge management, process digitization, and decision-support tools. Previously, she founded the health food brand ONTHERUN and held leadership roles in telecom solution design and product delivery across APAC. Her experience includes product management and solution delivery for B2B clients across the APAC region, with a focus on large-scale platform rollouts.

Hi there, I'm curious! Curious about what fascinating things happen to ingredients when they go through the trials of processing. But I'm otherwise known as Smruthi. I lead New Product Development (NPD) projects for short term projects, with experience in 10+ food categories.

From a very young age ,food has been an experience.” I started cooking when I was 6 and started my professional journey at 19. I’m a former WorldSkills India Champion, with a former ranking of 1 in India and 18 in the World, and the Founder of Food for Hope, a non-profit Food donation Organisation. Now I’m part of making food products by bringing the best of culinary world and food technology.

I’m Vaibhavi Singh, a 25-year-old Innovation Chef with 3 years of experience shaking things up in the food & beverage world. I’m also an internationally certified bartender from EBS Goa and hold a BA in Culinary Arts from WGSHA. When I’m not experimenting with flavours (especially matcha!), you’ll find me vibing to music or lost in a good book.

Fun fact: I think I can still ride a horse, muscle memory never lets you down… right?

From a very young age ,food has been an experience.” I started cooking when I was 6 and started my professional journey at 19. I’m a former WorldSkills India Champion, with a former ranking of 1 in India and 18 in the World, and the Founder of Food for Hope, a non-profit Food donation Organisation. Now I’m part of making food products by bringing the best of culinary world and food technology.