Food & Feed and Cosmetics team

Mari Lyyra
Head of Operations
Food, feed and cosmetics

Mari Lyyra has worked for Medfiles since 2014 and led the Medfiles Food & Feed and Cosmetics team, consisting of 11 regulatory affairs experts, from 2019.

She graduated as an authorised nutritionist from the University of Kuopio, Finland, with a M.Sc. in Public Health, specialising in clinical nutrition. She has worked with food regulatory tasks for over 20 years, covering traditional foods, food supplements, functional foods with health claims and innovative ingredients.

Since the beginning of her career in 1999, Mari has focused on novel foods, which has become her key competence area. Mari has extensive experience in expert and strategic consulting, with clients in various novel food projects, as well as in other regulatory tasks in the EU and the United States. She has also written numerous articles in food journals and participated in peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals. In recent years, Mari has given several lectures on food regulatory topics at various Nordic events.

Mari Eskola, Ph.D.
Team leader, Regulatory Science and Reports //
Senior Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food, feed and cosmetics

Mari Eskola joined Medfiles in 2021. Since then, she has been involved in several projects on food, feed and cosmetics conducted for Medfiles’ clients.

Mari is a food chemist specialised in analytical chemistry and in 2002, she obtained a PhD degree in food science. Mari has over 25 years of international expertise in the chemical and regulatory safety of food and feed from the European Union and European national organisations as well as from the industry. She has worked for 10 years at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), carrying out EFSA regulatory risk assessments of contaminants in foods and feeds, where she also worked as acting and deputy head of the EFSA Contaminants Unit.

In addition, Mari has food and feed research and regulatory expertise from various other European institutes, such as the European Commission Joint Research Centre (EC JRC), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Teagasc in Ireland, the Austrian University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences and the former Finnish Food Safety Authority. Mari has international experience in managing projects and people, and she has authored several scientific publications comprising also many scientific EFSA opinions and risk assessments.

Pia Karjalainen
Senior Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food, feed and cosmetics

Pia Karjalainen has advised companies on various topics within food regulatory and scientific affairs throughout the past 15 years.

She has gained wide regulatory expertise for a vast range of food categories, such as food supplements, foods for special medical purposes, food additives, novel foods and conventional foods. In recent years, Pia has expanded her areas of expertise to include animal feed and cosmetics.

Since the beginning of her regulatory career, Pia has focused on health claims, which has become her key competence area. She also has in-depth expertise in designing regulatory strategies for innovative ingredients. Her ability to understand the bigger regulatory picture and work with a solution-oriented attitude has led her to leading and handling many complex projects related to different product categories and borderline products.

Pia has earned a master’s degree in health sciences (nutrition) from the University of Eastern Finland. Prior to joining Medfiles in 2014, she worked with food regulatory affairs and as a registered dietitian in healthcare.

Tiina Carlsson
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food and cosmetics

Since starting at Medfiles in 2017, Tiina has mainly led client projects related to food and cosmetics labelling, composition and safety for various types of products.

Her key competence areas are foods for special groups, food supplements, health claims and reimbursement. Tiina speaks fluent Swedish, which is why she is an integral element in projects concerning Sweden and the other Nordic countries. Tiina is an expert who, in addition to grasping the overall picture, has a keen eye for detail and enjoys helping her clients to get the best out of their product labels and marketing.

Tiina has a M.Sc. degree in health sciences (nutrition). Before Medfiles, she has worked in the food industry as well as with health economics and reimbursement of medicines.

Mia Gothóni
Team leader, Labelling //
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food

Mia joined Medfiles in 2018, with previous experience in food labelling. Since then, she has led and worked with a broad range of projects and different product categories.

As of June 2023, she is also Team leader of the labelling team.

Mia’s core expertise is in food supplements and food labelling; however, with her linguistic skills (she is bilingual in Finnish and Swedish), she can handle regulatory projects effectively and in a client-oriented manner also in the other Nordic countries. In addition, she assists in Swedish-language checks and translations of product-related information of medicinal products and medical devices, whenever needed.

Mia has a M.Sc. degree in food sciences (nutrition) with minor studies in psychology and communications. Her previous studies in business administration and management provide insight into the needs of Medfiles’ valued clients, not only from a regulatory point of view, but in terms of practical issues, tight schedules, budgets and goals. Together with her team, she helps clients reach new markets, launch products compliant with the applicable legislation and create package labels that serve both the client and the consumer.

Ingrid Hagberg
Regulatory Affairs Expert & Toxicologist
Food, feed and cosmetics

Ingrid joined Medfiles in autumn 2023 as a Toxicologist and Regulatory Affairs Expert. Since then she has been involved in projects relating to food, feed and cosmetics.

Prior to joining Medfiles, Ingrid worked in the evaluation and risk management of chemical substances in food at Health Canada. She also has several years’ experience working as a food inspector for the government of Canada, including regulatory tasks in food safety and labelling. As a native English speaker, she has excellent skills for communicating with international agencies and writing reports.

She has a B.Sc. degree in Food Science from Carleton University in Canada, and a M.Sc. degree in Toxicology from the University of Eastern Finland. Ingrid has a unique skillset in both food science and toxicology which she uses to the benefits of Medfiles’ valued clients.

Elina Hautaniemi, Ph.D.
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food

Elina Hautaniemi joined Medfiles in 2020. She is a registered dietitian and pharmacist and has a PhD degree in internal medicine.

Elina has diverse work experience in healthcare, clinical research and food regulatory affairs. Before Medfiles, Elina worked for several years as a registered dietitian in hospital care. Through her career, she has gained extensive experience in clinical nutrition. She has also worked as a nutrition specialist at a CRO in various clinical research projects on health effects of foods. At the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, she was a member of research group investigating the haemodynamics in primary and secondary hypertension versus normotensive control subjects. Her PhD studies focused on the haemodynamic effects of liquorice and lactotripeptides. At Medfiles, Elina has been involved in regulatory projects related to for instance novel foods, health claims and food additives. She has authored several scientific publications, has extensive experience in scientific writing and excellent skills in project management.

Martta Keltomäki
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food, feed and cosmetics

Martta joined the Medfiles food team in spring 2020. She has several years of regulatory experience in food supplements, complementary feeds and cosmetics under her belt.

In food supplements, she has worked in the R&D phase of food supplement as well as in quality management, registration, marketing (including health claims) and labelling, while in complementary feeds and cosmetic products, she has special expertise in composition and labelling in particular. Martta is deeply interested in legislation and especially the practical interpretations of different statutes and regulations, and legally compliant but effective marketing of food is her true passion.

Martta has a M.Sc. degree in biotechnology from the University of Helsinki. Before Medfiles, Martta has worked at the Finnish Food Safety Authority and in the food supplement industry.

Anne Kivimäki, Ph.D.
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food

Anne Kivimäki joined Medfiles in 2021. She has a PhD (medicine) in medical nutrition physiology from the Pharmacology Department at the Medical Faculty in the University of Helsinki.

She also has a master’s degree in food sciences (food chemistry) and a bachelor’s degree in engineering in food and biotechnology. She has over 10 years of scientific experience in pre-clinical and clinical research in the fields of medical nutrition physiology and oral health at the University of Helsinki.

In her PhD studies, Anne investigated the cardiovascular effects of Nordic berries, and she defended her thesis in 2019. During her long career at the University of Helsinki she also worked as a research laboratory coordinator and was involved in several international and domestic research projects. In addition, she has worked as a health inspector and has experience of working in the food industry. With her B.Sc. in food and biotechnology, she gained a high level of know-how in food processing techniques and technologies. She is also an experienced scientific writer and has authored several published scientific articles – and has great project management and coordination skills.

Mari Riuttala
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food, feed and cosmetics

Mari Riuttala has worked at Medfiles since August 2021. She has a M.Sc. degree in food sciences from the University of Helsinki, where she majored in cereal science and technology.

As her minor subjects, Mari studied nutrition and food chemistry. After her graduation, Mari has worked with regulatory tasks related to food, feed and cosmetics products. She has experience in writing and reviewing labelling, calculating nutritional values, checking the legality of ingredients and evaluating the terms of using nutrition and health claims. Before Medfiles, Mari worked as a product information manager in the food industry.

Mari also has the vocational qualification of restaurant cook and bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, as well as a wide range of experience in different tasks in the restaurant industry and as a baker. With her studies and work experience, Mari brings to the table strong expertise in different ingredients as well as their behaviour in food processes, baking in particular.

Maija Salmenhaara
Regulatory Affairs Expert
Food and feed

Maija has worked at Medfiles from 2019. Her expertise covers regulatory affairs in food and feed, and she has strong competence in regulations concerning food composition and safety, food labelling, nutrition and health claims, novel food ingredients, food supplements and fortified foods.

She is also very experienced with work related to animal feed composition, labelling and marketing claims, with a balanced set of skills in project management, client service and writing reports.

Maija has a M.Sc. degree in food sciences (nutrition) from 2007. Before Medfiles, Maija has worked both in governmental agencies and the private sector, focusing on nutrition research, risk assessment and market research.