IAFP honors DuPont's contribution to food safety

The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) on May 31 named DuPont as the winner of its 2005 Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety. The award will be presented at the IAFP Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Md., in August.This honor is given annually to one company for its efforts in advancing food safety and quality through consumer programs, employee relations, educational activities, adherence to standards and support of the goals and objectives of the Association, according to IAFP. Charles O. Holliday, Jr., DuPont chairman and CEO, pointed to safety as a core value that drives DuPont innovation and the company’s success in the food safety arena. “Our quest to develop products and services that enable healthy and affordable food may begin with us, but it ends with our customers and ultimately their customers," he said. "We’re honored that the International Association for Food Protection has recognized our commitment to delivering food solutions at virtually every link of the food value chain worldwide. Together, we can establish a sound platform to help ensure a safe and abundant food supply for generations to come.” DuPont’s influence across the food value chain is supported by 10 key business areas, each with a focus on food production and services. These include crop protection and commercial seed production, clean and disinfect technologies, ingredients manufacturing, food and drink processing and packaging, pathogen detection and risk assessment. Kraft Foods is one business that has utilized DuPont safety innovations to enhance its own safety practices for the benefit of consumers. “DuPont is actively involved in providing leading edge technology and services to the food safety industry,” said Mark W. Carter, manager, Microbiology and Food Safety, Kraft Foods, Glenview, Ill. “Its (DuPont) collaboration with Kraft Foods over the past 14 years is truly unique and provides a model for the industry to follow.” For more information about IAFP and the Black Pearl Award, visit: www.foodprotection.org.