Remembering Frank Busta

Past IFT President (1995–1996) Francis “Frank” Busta passed away on January 24.

He was professor emeritus with the University of Minnesota, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, and director emeritus, the National Center for Food Protection and Defense.

Before joining the University of Minnesota faculty, where he served as head of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition from 1987 to 1997, his academic career took him to North Carolina State University and the University of Florida.

His scientific knowledge coupled with his sense of practical application related to food safety and sanitation kept him in high demand by food companies, governmental task forces, and regulatory agencies. Among his notable contributions to the world of food safety was his 15 years of service on the International Commission on the Microbiological Specifications for Foods.

After his retirement from the University of Minnesota in 1999, he was recruited back to establish the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, now known as the Food Protection and Defense Institute, where he worked to coordinate research with more than 30 universities, food companies, and government agencies, advancing protection against deliberate contamination of food.

An active volunteer and an IFT Fellow, Busta was also the recipient of the Calvert L. Willey Distinguished Service Award and the Myron Solberg Award.

University of Wisconsin-River Falls Professor Emeritus Purnendu Vasavada began a long friendship and professional relationship with Busta after meeting him at a conference organized by the IFT Food Microbiology Division in 1979.

“Frank was a giant in food microbiology,” Vasavada reflects. “He was a great teacher, mentor, colleague, and friend.”

Busta’s academic credentionals included BA and MS degrees from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in food science with an emphasis on microbiology from the University of Illinois.