College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

P. Vincent Hegarty is Adjunct Professor at the MSU College of Law and Professor Emeritus in MSU’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition where he served as Chair from 1989 until he retired in 2003. He founded MSU’s Institute for Food Laws & Regulations (IFLR) in 1998. 

Dr. Hegarty earned his Ph.D. in Human Nutrition at the University of London, England. He also holds degrees in Biochemistry (University of Ireland, Cork), and Economics (National University of Ireland, Dublin).

Since 1970 he held teaching, research, and administrative positions at the universities of Minnesota, Houston and MSU. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology. He received the MSU College of Agricultural and Natural Resources honorary alumni award in 1997.

He has had visiting professorships at universities in Africa, Asia, Canada, Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East. His consultancies include: WHO, FAO, NIH, FAS/USDA, USAID, Pew Charitable Trust, etc. 

He has written four books:

• Decisions in Nutrition (1988). Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, St. Louis
• Nutrition, Food and the Environment (1995) Eagan Press, St. Paul, MN
• Food Contact Legislation in Global and Emerging Markets (2005), Pira International, UK
• Food Contact Legislation in the BRIICS (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China, and South Africa) (2006) Pira International, UK