I joined the Institute of Food Research in 1981 and am Head of Food Databanks National Capability, the group manages data on the composition of foods eaten in the UK. As well as providing the nutritional information for food labelling, this data underpins research at the Quadram Institute, across Europe and beyond into the links between diet and health whilst helping to inform policy to promote a healthy lifestyle.

My initial area of work was understanding the mechanisms by which natural dietary folates and folic acid, consumed as part of the diet, contribute to the maintenance and promotion of health.

This led to my interest in a wide range of research covering food composition and analysis, food description, quality and food matching, dietary intake assessment, personalised nutrition, nutritional labelling & health claims, reformulation and impact on food intake and health.

I am currently exploring ways to integrate food composition and consumption data into a wider food and health Research Infrastructure with European collaborators. I have co-coordinated both national and international projects and was the Scientific Co-coordinator for the EuroFIR Network of Excellence and Nexus projects (2005-13; EU FP6 & 7), and am the President of EuroFIR AISBL, established in 2009 in Brussels and a Member of the FAO INFOODS network.

I have a broad range of experience in science publishing and is currently editor of the journals Food Chemistry, and Trends in Food Science and Technology. My undergraduate degree was in  Chemistry from Aston University in Birmingham I have published over 150 publications on a wide range of topics in food science and nutrition.

Member of Scientific Advisory Boards & Committees:          

 WHO EMRO Expert in food composition, intake, labelling and nutrition claims (2016- )

• FOODforce, representative for IFR (2015-)
• Chair, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), EU Menu Advisory Group, Parma, Italy (2012-15)
• UK Expert, European Standarization Committee, CEN TC275 Working Group on Food Data, Uppsala, Sweden (2008-13)
• National Expert, EU Joint Research Centre, Institute of Reference Materials and Measurements, Certification Advisory Panel on Small Organic Molecules and Operationally Defined Parameters in Food Analysis, Geel, Belgium (2008-13)
• Review of research proposals and projects, DG Research, Commission of European Union, Brussels (2005- )

 Professional Activities and Societies Membership:                

• Managing Director & President EuroFIR AISBL, Brussels, Belgium (MD: 2009; President: 2013 – )
• Member, European Science Journal Editors (2013- )
• Member Institute of Food Technologists (1997- ) and Member Nutrition Society, UK (1993- )
• Editor, Food Chemistry (1995- ) and Editor-in-Chief, Trends in Food Science & Technology (1999- ), Elsevier Science Publishers, Oxford, UK

 Key Publications

Finglas P. M., Roe M., Pinchen H., Berry R., Church S.,Dodhia S K., Farron-Wilson M. and Swan G. (2015) McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods Seventh Summary Edition. Royal Society of Chemistry

Finglas P. M., Berry R., Astley S. (2014) Assessing and Improving the Quality of Food Composition Databases for Nutrition and Health Applications in Europe: The Contribution of EuroFIR Advances in Nutrition 5 p608S-614S

Roe M., Pinchen H., Church S., Elahi S., Walker M., Farron-Wilson M., Buttriss J., Finglas P. M. (2012) Trans fatty acids in a range of UK processed foods Food Chemistry 2012

Plumb J., Lyons J., Nørby K., Thomas M., Nørby E., Poms R., Restani P., Kiely M., Finglas P. M. (2016) ePlantLIBRA: a composition and biological activity database for bioactive compounds in plant food supplements Food Chemistry 193 p121

Kiely M., Black L., Plumb J. A., Kroon P. A., Hollman P. C., Larsen J. C., Speijers G. J., Kapsokefalou M., Sheehan D., Gry J., Finglas P. M. F. Eurofir eBASIS (Bioactive Substances in Food Information System):application for health claims submissions and evaluations (2010) Journal: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 64 pS101-107

King M. J., Brima E. I., Dainty J. R., Barrett D. A., Wright A. J., Willis G., Finglas P. M. (2012) Estimation of the folate apparent volume of distribution in humans Journal of Nutrition 142 p389-395