Valentina Zoretić-Rubes was born in Zagreb, Croatia, but spent most of her childhood in small city of Jastrebarsko. She went there in primary school, only to find herself back in Zagreb later on, attending Medical high-school. She studied at Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology in Zagreb where she graduated in the course of Biotechnology engineering in 1995. She also took part in professional study of Analytics and foodstuff microbiology.
Her first job was in chemical factory “Labud d.o.o. Zagreb”, as an engineer of development and application of washing, cleaning and disinfection tools used by industry, but also as an engineer-supervisor for same used tools in project “Antiseptica”, which was mainly intended for medical facilities. From September 2005 she works in Croatian Ministry of Health as a senior sanitary inspector for Administration of sanitary inspection, in a field orientated towards food and especially towards additives, aromas, pesticides, novel food, GM food and animal food. In 2007 after Ministry reorganization, she found herself in a new position- as a head of GMO department. From the 1st June of 2017 the Epidemiology and GMO service are under her control.
She also completed several dozens of foreign and home educational courses based on estimating risk assessment and taking certain actions in a field of pesticides, novel foods, GMO, health safety of food, introducing and controlling HACCP system, but also in a course considering Health-Care of the population from out broke diseases.
She is also a member of European commission working group, where she deals with interactions and intercourses between GMO and pharmaceutical legislations. Currently, Valentina is a national representative in EK Standing Committee (Standing Committee of plant, animal food and feed,-Section of genetically modified food and feed and deliberate release of GMOs, Regulatory Committee under Directive (EC)2001/18 Regulatory Commiittee under Directive 2009/41/EC), and also presents focal point for FAO in GMO field. What is more, Valentina had her share in the making of Directive (EU) 412/2015 and Regulation (EU)2183/2015 about new food, as a Croatian national representative. During negotiations she was a member of Working group adressed in preparing everything for negotiations- legal acquisitions of European Union, both Chapter 12.- Safety of food, veterinary medicine, fitosanitary protection, and Chapter 23.- Environment.
