Elizabeth “Betsy” Bihn, PhD, has been appointed Executive Director of the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University. Established in December 2015 with a $2 million state grant, the Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University is a center unique in its comprehensive approach connecting training and applied research to support the implementation of practices that reduce foodborne illness. The institute will harness Cornell’s existing strengths across food production systems in fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods to help growers and processors meet food safety challenges such as complying with new demands in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act.
“The Institute for Food Safety is a great opportunity to build on already established programs at Cornell in order to meet new challenges that face farmers, small processors, and the whole food industry,” said Bihn. “These challenges include requirements in the Food Safety Modernization Act, buyer demand for food safety practices, consumer demand for local foods grown in sustainable ways, and many other evolving needs that are developing daily.”
Located at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in Geneva, New York, the Institute will bring together Cornell scientists and extension experts from across the fields of food science, horticulture, plant pathology, and entomology, as well as business development expertise from entrepreneurs at the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park. The Institute will provide innovative solutions in addition to required trainings and certifications that will stimulate economic growth and create new market opportunities for the Empire State’s farmers, food processors, retailers, and food entrepreneurs.
Bihn, whose research focus has helped reduce microbial risks to fresh fruits and vegetables, has an extensive background promoting public health through on-farm practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from contamination in the field, during harvest and during transport. She is the Director of the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA), tasked with assisting growers with implementing Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to meet the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule requirements. She regularly conducts GAPs training programs for fruit and vegetable farmers throughout the nation and develops educational materials to facilitate risk reduction on the farm. Bihn received her B.S. in Zoology from Ohio State University, M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Florida, and Ph.D. in Food Science from Cornell University.
