From friend of the barfblog, Roy E Costa:

Dr. O.P. Snyder, “Pete” as he is known to his friends and colleagues, is recovering from heart surgery this summer and is progressing, but slowly. I know everyone who has worked with Pete or has been his student or client can attest to his zeal for food safety. Everyone in this field owes a huge debt of gratitude to Pete for his many years of conscientious work, numerous publications, impressive presentations and research, not to mention his thought provoking comments on this list through the years.

One of the hallmark’s of Pete’s character has been his openness and willingness to share his profound knowledge of food science with anyone and everyone who asked. His website www.HI-TM.com has been a tremendous resource for anyone needing factual information on food safety.

I first met Pete at the annual education meeting of the Florida Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Sanitarians (now the Florida Association for Food Protection) in 1990, which he graciously agreed to attend at my behest as a speaker. I was impressed that a researcher and expert of his caliber would come to what was then a relatively small meeting of local sanitarians.

But Pete was like that, he was always willing to unselfishly extend himself. Through the years our friendship grew. As many of you know, I have not always agreed with Pete on issues of public health, but have always appreciated where he was coming from, and although the arguments in the past on this list between Pete and myself were sometimes a bit brutal, he never took it to heart or chastised me for the confrontations.

Big hearted, gracious and kindly are some characteristics that portray Pete, in spite of his sometimes tough exterior. All of us who know him understand that his strongly held positions, such as the need for self-regulation over government regulation, his dislike of some of the less than scientific rules regarding food safety, and insistence that only empirical scientific evidence be used when establishing public health policies, come from his dedication to this area and were never politically motivated.

So, its with fond regrets that we say farewell to a stalwart of food safety, the father of HACCP at retail and the best guide you could find when you needed the right answers to tough food safety problems.

All the best to you Pete, from all of us at this listserve. We will indeed miss you.