Past PMA Chair Peter Goulet was 64

Peter Goulet, a past chair of the Produce Marketing Association and long-time member and contributor to the fresh produce community, died March 24 at the age of 64.

Mr. Goulet was a food industry veteran for 47 years. He started in-store at Hannaford Bros and worked his way to corporate as director of produce merchandising. In 2006, he founded Pinnacle Sales and Marketing, which he ran for 15 years before retiring in 2020.

As chair of PMA, Mr. Goulet led the organization forward in the aftermath of the 2006 E. coli outbreak linked to spinach that changed how PMA and the industry addressed food safety.

“You can safely say that Peter played a large role in taking PMA’s role to a much higher level than it had ever been before," said former PMA CEO Bryan Silbermann. "What flowed from his year as chair was not only the hiring of our first food-safety expert (Dr. Bob Whitaker) a year later, but also the support PMA provided in the creation of the Center for Produce Safety.”

Prior to becoming chair in 2006, Mr. Goulet was a consummate volunteer for PMA, where he previously served as Fresh Summit Chair, the Retail Division Board Chair, and member of the Retail Division Board of Directors, the Food Safety Task Force and Returnable Packaging Task Force to name just a few.

He also provided his time and expertise to retail advisory boards of the Washington Apple Commission and Ready Pac Produce, as well as served on the board of directors for the New England Produce Council.

IFPA CEO Cathy Burns, who worked alongside Mr. Goulet in her time at Hannaford Bros., said, “Peter was a true produce professional who always had an eye on giving shoppers the absolute best fresh fruits and vegetables and in-store experience. But most importantly, he was a friend and someone who wanted to do right by everyone he met. I will miss him dearly and the IFPA team extends our condolences and sympathies to Cathy and the whole Goulet family.”

Services will be held April 2-3 at Cote Funeral Home in Saco, ME. Family has requested that in lieu of flowers,  consider donating in Peter’s name to The Dempsey Center or The Foundation for Fresh Produce, which promotes healthy eating for children and families.