Peter Goulet, 64, remembered for contributions to food safety

A veteran of the food industry from Saco who was a longtime member and contributor to the fresh produce community died March 24.

Peter Lawrence Goulet, 64, worked in the food business for 47 years, starting in-store at Hannaford Bros. and working his way up the corporate ladder to director of Produce Merchandising.

Goulet was active in the global fresh produce industry and served on a number of task forces and boards. He was past chair of the Produce Marketing Association, a predecessor of the International Fresh Produce Association. As PMA chair, he 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,” former PMA CEO Bryan Silbermann said in a news release. “What flowed from his year as chair was not only the hiring of our first food safety expert a year later, but also the support PMA provided in the creation of the Center for Produce Safety.”

In 2006, Goulet founded Pinnacle Sales and Marketing, which he ran for 15 years before retiring in 2020.

Goulet grew up in Gorham, N.H., and was an alumnus of the University of New Hampshire, class of 1981.

He coached a variety of youth sports in Saco, was a Boy Scout leader and officiated swim meets throughout the state for high schools and the YMCA. He was also an avid outdoorsman. Among the survivors are his wife, Catherine Blunt, three children, six grandchildren and two stepdaughters.

A funeral Mass was held April 3, at Most Holy Trinity Church in Saco. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in Goulet's name to the Dempsey Center or the Foundation for Fresh Produce, which promotes healthy eating for children and families.