This interview is with Carl Winter, Professor of Cooperative Extension Emeritus in the Department of Food Science and Technology. He was appointed in 1991 and retired in 2019.
Carl’s research and outreach efforts focused on the potential health risks of chemical contaminants in the food supply. He developed novel methods for estimating health risks resulting from pesticide residues, naturally-occurring toxins, and heavy metals in foods. He worked with regulators, legislators, health officials, consumers, academic scientists, and agricultural officials to broadly disseminate critical food safety information. He gave nearly 1,000 media interviews and provided invited testimony for the U.S. Congress on three occasions.
Carl’s communication abilities were recognized with several awards including the 2012 Borlaug Communication Award from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology . In addition to using traditional communication approaches, Carl developed a popular musical approach for food safety education using parodies of popular songs with their lyrics altered to teach broad audiences about food safety. His musical efforts led to nearly 300 live performances in 37 U.S. states and distribution of nearly 30,000 music CDs and DVDs.
He is interviewed by his friend and colleague Mary Delany, Professor Emerita of Animal Science.
