Pia Karjalainen joined Medfiles in 2014. She currently works as Team Leader (Health Claims and Nutrition) and Senior Regulatory Affairs Expert (Food and Feed).
Pia holds a Master of Health Sciences degree in Nutrition from the University of Kuopio (now the University of Eastern Finland), and is a licensed dietician. She also qualified as a vocational teacher in 2024.
Pia first found her way into the world of food-related regulatory and scientific matters “by accident”, when she was offered a three-month position as a regulatory expert at a consultant company. She found the work fascinating, and the short contract evolved into an 18-year career (and counting) in regulatory roles. Prior to joining Medfiles, she worked as a food regulatory expert and dietician in healthcare.
Expertise in health claims, regulatory strategies and planning for market access
At Medfiles, Pia’s work includes a wide range of client projects, team leadership and project management tasks, including contract management. From the outset, she has focused on nutrition and health claims, developing deep expertise in this area.
“When I started doing regulatory work in 2007, the EU Health Claims Regulation had just come into force. My first task was to write a health claim application, which naturally became my area of specialisation. I’ve had the chance to follow the development of the framework almost from the beginning.”
Pia has extensive experience of working with a variety of product categories, including food supplements, food for special medical purposes (FSMPs), food additives, novel foods and conventional foodstuffs. Over time, she has also developed expertise in feed and cosmetics legislation, as well as reimbursement applications for clinical nutrition products.
Pia has an excellent track record in planning market entry strategies for innovative ingredients that comply with all relevant regulations. She has led numerous complex projects that require an in-depth knowledge of legislation and the capacity to make strategic, forward-looking decisions that align with the client’s objectives.
She also manages projects involving the same ingredient across several product categories, such as food, feed, and cosmetics, which requires long-term strategic thinking.
Helping clients is the most rewarding part
Pia finds the greatest satisfaction in supporting clients and overcoming complex challenges together.
“The best parts of my work are definitely the clients and the projects. It’s especially rewarding when we successfully conclude a difficult project and find a solution that works for the client.”
“There are many good aspects to this job. Exploring different options and strategies in a regulatory context is surprisingly creative work, and I really enjoy that. You need to be detail-oriented, but also able to see the bigger picture.”
Pia also values her team and the way it has evolved.
“We have a truly dedicated and collaborative team that works closely with clients to ensure the best possible outcomes. It has been rewarding to be part of a growing team – we started with just three of us at Medfiles, and now there are more than ten of us. As the team has grown, we’ve continually developed new functions and services.”
Free webinar: How to get health claims approved in the EU
Do you want to stand out from the competition of food products with your own, brand new health claims? In this webinar we’ll provide an overview of the health claim approval process and the related requirements in the EU. Practical examples will also be showcased.
Medfiles’ regulatory experts work with health claims on a daily basis and help companies utilise existing claims for ready-made foods or consider new health claims already at the product development stage. With over 20 years of practical experience and continuous updating of our expertise, we remain at the forefront of health claim issues in the Nordic countries and Northern Europe.
