Food Quality & Safety Award to be Presented at IAFP

Backyard Farms team members at 2014 Award ceremony, from left to right: Arie van der Giessen, head grower; Mark Queenan, director of quality assurance and food safety; Missy Blackwell, food safety and quality coordinator; Tim Cunniff, executive VP of sales; and Paul Mucci, COO and president.
Image Credit: EDDIE ARROSSI PHOTOGRAPHY

Presented by Food Quality & Safety magazine, the annual Food Quality & Safety Award honors the dedication and achievement of a food processor, food service, or food retailer that has made significant improvements in safety and consumer satisfaction with positive impact on business results.

The 14th annual Award marks the first time the competition is open to companies worldwide, as opposed to previous years where it was restricted to North America. The trophy will be presented to this year’s winner on July 26, 2015 at a special reception during the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting in Portland, Ore., scheduled from July 25 to July 28. IAFP is attended by more than 2,800 of the top industry, academic, and governmental food safety professionals from six continents. To view the entire conference schedule, go to www.foodprotection.org/annualmeeting.

Last year’s Award winner Backyard Farms, a tomato grower in Madison, Maine, was selected for its dedication to quality combined with its technology, cleaning, and employee training initiatives. Its tomatoes are checked regularly from the time the seeds are grown at the external plant propagator through the shipment of the young plants to the

company’s greenhouses, then at the greenhouses as they grow and are harvested, and through them then being boxed and shipped.

“We have a tradition of ‘food quality first’ that is woven into the fabric of everything we do at Backyard Farms,” says Mark Queenan, director of quality assurance and food safety. “From our management team to pickers and packers, we embrace and are committed to continuous evaluation and improvement in the areas of food safety and quality practices.”

To congratulate this year’s winner and celebrate the good work being done in the food industry, be sure to go to the July 26 reception, which is open to all registered IAFP attendees.—FQ&S