prof.dr.ir. MH (Marcel) Zwietering

After finishing his study in Biotechnology at Wageningen University in 1987 Marcel Zwietering started working in the Food Process Engineering group at the same university. In 1993 he received his Ph.D. (with distinction, <5% of the theses) on a thesis with the title ‘Modeling of the microbial quality of food’. He continued in the same group as assistant and later associate professor. His research was focussed mainly at quantitative microbiology and risk assessment. In 1995 he spent a sabbatical half year in the Unilever research lab in Colworth House, UK.

In 1998 he moved to the research lab of Danone, Le Plessis Robinson in France, where he worked until 2002 on quality control of starter cultures, investigation of the symbiosis, metabolic flux analysis, and quantitative risk assessment.

Since January 2003 he is professor in Food Microbiology at Wageningen University. Within this chair research subjects in the domain of food safety management, risk analysis, fermentation, detection and hygiene, eco-physiology and functional genomics are investigated. Education goes from basic food microbiology BSc courses, to MSc courses in Advanced Food Microbiology, Food Fermentation, Advanced Fermentation, Food Safety Risk Assessment and Food Safety Management. The chair is also involved in contributions to courses in risk communication and life sciences for social scientists. Furthermore, there are several PhD courses. There is a distance BSc course given for the NTU University in Singapore and a distance learning international MSc food technology program is running. Additionally, together with the Toxicology section a Food Safety MOOC has been developed that has received a large international audience.

He has published 266 papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has a h-factor of 59 (Scopus December 2025).

Marcel is member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Food Microbiology and the Journal of Food Protection.

He is co-chair of the ILSI-Europe Microbiological Food Safety task force. He is regularly invited for international expert consultations for the FAO/WHO (JEMRA, Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment) and other expert groups.  In 2006 he was appointed in the Dutch Health Council and was member or member of expert committees until 2021. In 2005 he was elected as member of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF) and was elected chair in 2020.

At IAFP2019 he was awarded the Elmer Marth Educator Award and the International Leadership Award, and at IAFP2024 the Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award. At IAFP Europe 2025 he was awarded the IAFP Europe Food Safety Award and at the 13th ICPMF conference in Athens (2025) the ICPMF distinguished and pioneering scientific contribution award.

He currently supervises 8 PhD students and has supervised 40 PhD students obtaining their degree. He has been examiner of 39 PhD students at Wageningen University and 26 external PhD students (of which 22 outside the Netherlands). From 2018-2023 he was member of the Academic Board of Wageningen University.

prof. dr. ir. M.H. Zwietering

Professor in Food Microbiology

Wageningen University

• Industrie en Instituutsadviezen (1-1-2003/31-12-2099)
  Occasional Scientific Advisor (last five years): NVWA (Food Safety Authority), Nutritional institute, American Frozen Food Institute, Sonec, van Drie
• ILSI Europe (1-1-2005/31-12-2099)
  Task force on Microbiological Food Safety and expert groups ILSI-Europe
• ICMSF (1-1-2005/31-12-2099)
  Member and since 2020 Chair of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods
• ILSI/FAO/WHO (1-1-2003/31-12-2099)
  ILSI, FAO/WHO (JEMRA) expert groups
• Friesland Campina (1-7-2016/31-12-2099)
  yearly advisory group meeting and occasional advisory meeting
• Elsevier (1-1-2008/31-12-2099)
  Editorial Board International Journal of Food Microbiology, Journal of Food Protection, and Nieuwsbrief Voedselveiligheid
• CANS Stichting Cellulaire Agricultuur Nederland (1-1-2024/31-12-2099)
  Expert microbiology for tasting sessions cultured meat
• Kerry (1-1-2024/31-12-2099)
  Advisor Modelling
• ZonMw (1-5-2024/30-4-2029)
  Member reviewing commission ZonMw Open Competition