In Memoriam: John Farquharson

John Farquharson, a foodservice industry veteran and former chairman of the National Restaurant Association and its Educational Foundation, died January 13. He was 78.

Farquharson, an executive for 40 years at Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp., founded the NRAEF’s International Food Safety Council to increase awareness and education. NRA President Dawn Sweeney says that Farquharson, who was Aramark’s foodservice division president for 15 years, was gentle but forceful when it came to ensuring food safety was the industry’s highest priority.  “He was the true ‘father of ServSafe,’” she says, “helping to guide the industry and its suppliers toward groundbreaking achievements in food safety education.”

More than seven million ServSafe certifications have been awarded to operators around the country.