When spinach tainted with the deadly E. coli bacteria rocked the produce industry and depleted consumers' confidence in what they were purchasing and eating, the federal government called upon a Binghamton graduate already at the forefront of food safety.

In November, Robert Whitaker '77, Ph.D. '82, vice president of process operations and technology for NewStar Fresh Foods - a bagged salad producer based in Salinas, Calif. - testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee. Officials chose Whitaker because of his work as a past chairman and executive board member of the United Fresh Produce Association, the leading trade association for vegetable producers. On Capitol Hill, he offered his insights and took issue with the feds, saying they put the industry in a bad light by telling consumers to avoid bagged greens.

"A lot of companies were affected by the blanket advisory," Whitaker said. "It always was just one processor. But, the consumer recognized this as a salad problem [not just spinach], so our whole category was hurt."

Going forward, Whitaker says we should expect to see more federal and state regulations regarding food safety. He's been in touch with government officials on a regular basis, recommending sound agricultural practices that, in his view, should be part of any new legislation. Also, he says the time is right to reexamine the safety practices within his own company, even though a firm set of checks and balances is in place.

"It drives me in my own company to do everything we can to manage food safety risks," Whitaker said. "We've got to improve. We'd be foolish not to look at what we do and determine how we could do it better."

The Vestal native is married to Cindy, a 1978 Binghamton graduate and has two daughters, Jessica and Colleen. Jessica is a business major and a member of the Bearcat softball team. Whitaker says the University is part of the fight against foodborne illnesses.

"The education I got at Binghamton helps me everyday in running our farming, harvesting and process operations as well as evaluating the new technologies and safeguards we use to put us on the leading edge of vegetable processing," Whitaker said. "Binghamton's got a little piece of this."

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