Virginia Tech Professor Named to Nation's No. 2 Food Safety Post

BLACKSBURG, Va., Feb. 4, 2002 -- Virginia Tech Professor Merle D. Pierson has been named deputy undersecretary for food safety by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman.

The appointment, which is effective today (Feb. 4) makes Pierson the second ranking federal official concerned with food safety.

"This is exciting, of course," said Pierson, who has been a member of Virginia Tech's Department of Food Science and Technology since 1970. "I've worked closely with the USDA and other government agencies over the years; I look forward to furthering the application of science to meeting our government's public health goals."

Charles Steger, president of Virginia Tech, credited Pierson with bringing international prestige to the university.

"Dr. Pierson has developed a richly deserved reputation among colleagues and policy makers around the globe," Steger said. "I am gratified that the same expertise that has been so well applied to educating our students, assisting industry, and advising regulators over the years will now be focused at the national policy-making level to ensuring the safety of the food supply for all Americans."

The Virginia Tech food science and technology department was recently ranked as one of the top such departments in the country, which Department Head Susan Sumner said was due in part to Pierson's contributions.

"Food safety is one of the strengths of our department," Sumner said. "We are certainly honored and pleased to have one of our faculty members appointed to such a high level government position."

Pierson will work with the undersecretary for food safety in providing overall direction to the activities of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, an 8,500-employee agency. He will also have responsibilities in developing, planning, and coordinating the implementation of federal food safety policies and programs. In addition, his duties will include consultations with members of Congress, officials of other government agencies, farm and industry organizations, and other groups.

Another duty will be to provide overall oversight for U.S. participation in the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international effort to develop worldwide standards and principles for food quality and food safety. More than 180 countries participate in Codex, which was established in 1962 to implement the food standards program of the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization.

Pierson has been involved in Codex for a number of years as a technical representative. He twice served as chairman of the Institute of Food Technologists' Codex committee. The IFT is a 26,000-member international scientific society focusing on food hygiene, food processing, nutrition, labeling, and numerous other areas related to food safety and quality. Pierson is a fellow of the IFT, as well as of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He is recognized internationally as an expert on Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points, or HACCP. That is a system for designing safeguards in the processing of foods to eliminate food-borne pathogens. He has worked closely with the government and industry in facilitating the implementation of the program in the United States.

Pierson earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Iowa State University, and his master's and doctoral degrees in food science from the University of Illinois.