Marina Heinonen

University of Helsinki, Finland

Marina Heinonen has a chair as Professor of Food Safety (Chemical Food Safety) at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. She is a Food Chemist by training after having  earned her doctoral degree in Food Science at the University of Helsinki in 1990. Her research interests include oxidative reactions in foods, actions of natural antioxidants, and functional properties of  plant phenolics. Her publications amount to ca 700 papers including both scientific papers and scientific opinions. She has experience in evaluation of research as a member of the Research Council for Biosciences and Environment at the Academy of Finland (2007-2012) and from the European Research Council (2010-2015, 2018-).  She was also a board member of the Nordic LipidForum (1993-2013). Her ongoing international activities include scientific expert membership since 2004 at the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) NDA Panel and its working groups on health claims (until 2018) and novel foods and food ingredients (ongoing).  Apart from carrying out scientific research she takes an active interest in expressing opinions in the public media concerning chemical food safety and health beneficial effects  of foods.