When consumers reach for a tomato grown by a member of California Tomato Farmers, they enjoy a tomato of the highest quality, grown under the strictest food safety standards and harvested by workers who enjoy a safe and positive work environment.

Advisory Panel

California Tomato Farmers is organized under a cooperative structure so that standards for quality, food safety, environmental stewardship and fair treatment of workers can be mandated. Members of California Tomato Farmers want our efforts in these areas to be transparent and verifiable. To ensure this, we have formed an Advisory Panel to help guide our efforts in developing the standards which will govern our activities.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Bihn

Senior Extension Associate
Cornell University

Elizabeth (Betsy) Bihn is a senior extension associate in the food science department of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and is currently program coordinate for the University’s National Good Agricultural Practices program. Her areas of interest include Good Agricultural Practices, food safety, educational material design and photography, protein localization, confocal microscopy, plant transformation, DNA isolation and purification. Bihn holds an M.S. in Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, and a B.S. in Zoology with a minor in Plant Biology, Ohio State University.

Gary Campisi

Director of Quality Control
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Gary Campisi has been involved in the food industry for more than 26 years and currently serves as Director of Quality Control for Wal-Mart. His responsibilities include quality control for Wal-Mart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM's Club. His staff of nearly 300 associates in the U.S. is focused on superior quality and customer service excellence for more than 2349 Supercenters, 124 Neighborhood Markets, and 585 SAM'S Clubs. Mr. Campisi is a graduate of the University of Nebraska earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. Campisi is involved with various industry organizations, and he currently serves on the United Fresh Food Safety & Technology Council.

René Cardinal

National Manager
Canadian Food Inspection Agency

For the past eight years, René Cardinal has been responsible for all food safety issues related to fresh fruits and vegetables within the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and is currently National Manager for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program. René has international experience in the development of quality and food safety standards. He contributed into the development of the Codex Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. He is now leading fresh fruit and vegetables food safety investigations in Canada and is evaluating farm practices in foreign countries.

Geoff Cooney

Director
Ready Fresh Produce

Geoff Cooney is the director of Ready Fresh Produce which is a pre-cut value added produce plant specializing in potatoes, French fries, salads, leaf items, specialty mixes and a repacker of fresh tomatoes. Ready Fresh is a member of Gordon Foodservice, one of Canada's leading foodservice suppliers.

Teresa DeAnda

El Comité para el Bienestar de Earlimart

In May 2000, Teresa DeAnda helped form El Comité para el Bienestar de Earlimart, an organization of local residents dedicated to protecting the health of their families and neighbors from the harmful effects of pesticide exposure. The organization has continued organizing and raising awareness about the issue and is working with local and state officials to implement policy reforms. In 2003, Teresa was hired by the Californians for Pesticide Reform as their Central Valley Representative, and she now works part time to limit the harmful effects of pesticides on the Valley's residents. She also serves on various boards including the advisory board of Center on Race Poverty and the Environment Advisory board, the Department of Pesticide Environmental Justice Advisory Committee and the California Environmental Justice Committee.

Rick Melnicoe

Director, Western Integrated Pest Management Center
University of California

Rick Melnicoe is the Director of the Western Integrated Pest Management Center, whose mission is to work with stakeholders to create collaborative relationships that identify and address critical pest management needs that are responsive to economic, environmental, and human health and safety concerns. Rick is also the University of California Statewide Pesticide Coordinator. In this capacity he coordinates and reviews Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, activities pertaining to pesticide research, experimentation and use. Rick was a Biologist with the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1979-1981; Registration Specialist, CDFA from 1981-1984; Environmental Hazards Specialist, CDFA from 1984-1986; and a Pesticide Enforcement Branch Program Supervisor, from 1986-1991.

Michael Spinazzola

President
Diversified Restaurant Systems

Mike Spinazzola is a partner and president, for Diversified Restaurant Systems, Inc. (DRS), a food consulting & marketing company, specializing in development, procurement and distribution functions as they relate to the fast food industry. DRS developed produce programs for many QSR's in Southern California and has been instrumental in developing the SUBWAY® National Produce Program. DRS is now responsible for supplying over 23,000 restaurants with Gold Standard produce from approved vendors for IPC / SUBWAY® and is directly involved in the food safety, GAP's, and social responsibility requirements for this program. Mike is a current Board Member for the Produce Marketing Association and Supply Chain Services, Inc., and a member of the San Diego Restaurant Association.

Trevor Suslow

Extension Research Specialist
Department of Plant Science, University of California, Davis

Dr. Trevor Suslow is a leading researcher in the area of postharvest pathology and microbiology of perishable horticultural commodities and lightly-processed (fresh-cut) vegetables. His areas of interest include examining the role of environmental and crop production practices on postharvest quality and safety of edible horticultural crops, microbial safety and disinfection of preharvest and postharvest water, biological control and other biologically-mediated controls of postharvest diseases. He is currently conducting applied research programs on several key commodities that address preharvest and postharvest risk assessment and hazard analysis specific to the epidemiology of Salmonella, E. coli, and Shigella. Suslow is actively involved in numerous organizations and affiliations with respect to food safety and farming. He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Science along with a M.Sc. and a Ph.D in Plant Pathology.

Tim York

President
Markon Cooperative, Inc.

Tim York is the President of Markon Cooperative Inc., a purchasing, marketing, and logistics cooperative serving North America's leading independent foodservice distributors. Based in Salinas, California, Markon distributes produce to forty-three facilities in the U.S. and Canada.

Mr. York has held numerous committee and task force positions, including serving as a member of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Council; chairman of the Produce Marketing Association (2002), Director of the PMA, 1993-1996; Chairman of PMA's Foodservice Division, 1994-1996.