New Healthgrain Forum Board for 2026

We are happy to announce the Healthgrain Forum Board for the new term, which began in spring 2026.

Leading the Board for a continuing term is Dr Kristof Brijs, Industrial Research Manager at the Lab of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry of KU Leuven in Belgium, together with Vice Chair Dr Ville Koistinen, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Eastern Finland and University of Turku. They are joined by returning Board members Jan de Vries (Communications Manager, De Vries Nutrition Solutions), Silvia Folloni (Open Fields), Veronika Haslinger (ICC), and Alexandra Meynier (Mondelez International R&D).

We are also delighted to welcome two new members to the Board. Noora Mäkelä-Salmi is a University Lecturer in Grain Science and Technology and Principal Investigator at the University of Helsinki, Finland, where her research focuses on the interactions of grain macromolecules and their role in food structure formation. Bernard Bonjean is Senior R&D Manager for the Grains & Seeds category at Puratos, based in Belgium, bringing over 27 years of industry experience in product development and innovation built on yeast and sourdough fermentation, and has been an active contributor to Healthgrain Forum working groups since 2023.

We would like to sincerely thank outgoing Board members Cristiano Paganoni, Professor Kati Katina, and Lovisa Martin Marais for their valuable contributions and dedication to the Forum over the past term.

The full list of current Board members, along with their profiles, can be found on our Board page.

The new Board looks forward to continuing to build a dynamic and beneficial platform for all our members, and to strengthening collaboration between academia and industry in advancing whole-grain and fibre research.