The annual Food Quality Award, sponsored by DuPont Qualicon and presented by Food Quality magazine , honors the dedication and achievement of a North American Quality Assurance/Quality Control team that has made exceptional contributions to food safety and consumer satisfaction with a positive impact on business results.

The 2007 winner was West Liberty Foods, LLC. See below for details about them and the prestigious award event .

And watch this space for more information on how you can nominate your company for the 2008 Food Quality Award!

2007 - West Liberty Foods, LLC

Headquartered in West Liberty, Iowa, West Liberty Foods is a leading co-packer, private label manufacturer and food service supplier of processed meat and poultry products. West Liberty Foods was selected for the 7th annual Food Quality Award because of its innovative methods for increasing sanitation and successful creation of a food safety culture.

Paul Hall, chairman of the board, Mike DeSmet, vice president food safety and quality, and Leann Smith,senior manager of regulatory and customer compliance, accepted the award during the presentation and reception hosted by DuPont Qualicon at the Food Safety & Security Summit in Washington, D.C. on March 18, 2008.

Marcos Cantharino, director of global sales & marketing at DuPont Qualicon, emceed the event. Frank Yiannas, director of safety and health at Walt Disney World Resorts, presented the keynote address on the high-tech, high-touch future of food safety. Craig Binetti, president of DuPont Nutrition and Health, spoke briefly on megatrends in the industry, and Rick Biros, founder of Food Quality magazine, provided some history on the award.

2006 - Hormel Foods

Headquartered in Austin, Minn., Hormel Foods is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded meat and food products. Selected for this honor because of its innovative technologies for reducing pathogens and preservatives in sliced meats, Hormel Foods joins an elite group of past winners that includes Beef Products Inc. (BPI), SYSCO Corporation and Tyson Foods. Bryan Farnsworth, vice president of quality management, accepted the 6th annual Food Quality Award during a presentation and reception hosted by DuPont Qualicon for the first time at the Food Safety & Security Summit in Washington, D.C.

Ravi Ramadhar, director of business development at DuPont Qualicon emceed the event. The keynote address was given by Marc Gunther, senior writer for Fortune Magazine, who spoke on the changing dynamics between margin-driven efficiencies and long-term sustainability at some of today’s most recognized companies. Dr. Siqun Wang, Director of R&D at DuPont Qualicon, also presented on emerging technologies and their impact.

2005 – SYSCO Corporation and Tyson Food Safety and Laboratory Services

Two exceptional food companies co-won the 5^th  annual Food Quality award in 2005, presented by Food Quality magazine at a ceremony hosted by DuPont Qualicon at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington.

Headquartered in Houston, Tex., SYSCO Corporation is the number one food service marketer and distributor in North America.  Shane Sampels, director of quality assurance, accepted the award and presented on the ten unique food quality and safety programs the helped SYSCO stand out from the competition.

Neal Apple, vice president of food safety and lab services, and Vanessa Cook, QA manager, accepted the award on behalf of Tyson Foods.  Headquartered in Springdale, Ark., Tyson Foods is the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork. One of the features that made Tyson Foods an award winner is the Tyson Food Safety and Laboratory Service Network, which operates as both an independent function relative to operations and as a service organization to assist with continuous improvement in food safety.  Apple and Cook showed videos that demonstrated Tyson Foods’ expertise in action.

Guest speakers at the 2005 event included:  Frank Yiannas, Ph.D., safety and health director, Walt Disney World Company; Thomas J. Billy, former chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and current president of International Food Safety Consultants, LLC; and Robert Brackett, Ph.D., director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

2004 – BPI

Headquartered in Dakota Dunes, S.Dak., BPI is the world’s leading manufacturer of boneless lean beef.   Eldon Roth, CEO/chairman of BPI, accepted the 4^th annual Food Quality award for their strong commitment to food safety and quality in all of their processing plants.

The forum and award ceremony, hosted by DuPont Qualicon at the DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, brought together key players from various parts of the food industry to gain practical information and sharing experiences about keeping the global food supply safe. 

Guest speakers at the forum included: Larry Cohen, quality program leader at Kraft Foods; John B. Luchansky, research leader at United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) at Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC); and Lawrence E. Platt, president of Retail Quality Audit (RQA), Inc.

Following the forum and ceremony, an awards reception was held at the exclusive Brantwyn Mansion in Wilmington.