Helen H. Jensen

Helen H. Jensen has made outstanding and continuing contributions to agricultural and applied economics through her research in economics applied to food consumption, food policy, nutrition, and food safety; through service to the profession; and through active engagement in extending scientific evidence to the policy process during her 25 year career at Iowa State University. Her economic analyses of food safety regulations on the meat industry, the role of nutrition and product information on consumer demand, and the integration of economics in the assessment of food system risk analysis have provided a sound, scientific basis for the effective design of programs and policies related to nutrition and food safety. Jensen’s contributions through national and international committees, including the National Academies, have been instrumental in leading to change in measurement of food insecurity and standards for major federal food programs that reflect new scientific evidence and sound economic research. She has mentored and provided guidance to graduate students and young scholars in the field. She has served on the AAEA Board of Directors and various committees of the AAEA, and presented the 2002 Waugh Memorial Lecture. At Iowa State University she leads food and nutrition policy research in the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development