Professor Maureen Edmondson

Thursday 29 May 2008

Board Member for Northern Ireland and Chair of Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committee

Professor Maureen Edmondson is Chair of the Northern Ireland Food Advisory Committee. Maureen has a background in Scientific Affairs and Food Science that has included positions in corporate, not-for-profit, academic, and government settings. For twenty years Maureen worked for Mars Incorporated, serving until 2000 on the corporate staff where she was responsible for International Scientific Affairs. She initiated scientific programmes in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Africa with a multinational team of colleagues and influential scientific professionals. She managed the company’s input to European and international technical food legislation and nutrition policy. She was Vice Chairman of the Industry Council for Development, and was active in the International Life Sciences Institute, and several other European trade, scientific, and professional associations.

Maureen earned her bachelors in food science and her Ph.D. in agricultural and food bacteriology from Queens University of Belfast and is a Fellow of both the Institute and International Academy of Food Science and Technology and Honorary Fellow of the European College of Sports Sciences. In addition to her corporate experience, she is a researcher, university lecturer, and has held posts on the UK government Food Advisory Committee. She served as Vice Chairman of the Northern Ireland Post Primary Education Review, on the governing council of Ulster University where she is a visiting professor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, was a Non-Executive Director of the Northern Ireland Office and was Vice Chairman of the Trinity Forum in Europe. She served on the leader group for Food Foresight in Northern Ireland, was the NI Member of Postwatch National Council and chaired Postwatch NI. In 2008 Maureen was appointed as the NI member of the Communications Consumer Panel (OFCOM).

Maureen is motivated by a desire to see science and sense pervade public policy on food and health. She is convinced that this serves all parties best, be they consumer, producer or policy maker. At the end of the day we are all consumers since we all eat and want to benefit from the great privilege of a safe and varied food supply.