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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2005
CONTACT: Greta Houlahan
Phone: (800) NSF-MARK
Ext: 5723
Email: houlahan@nsf.org
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - NSF International (NSF) today announced the five winners of its 2nd annual Food Safety Leadership Awards, a program designed to recognize groundbreaking achievements in foodservice safety to help protect the public from foodborne illness. The awards will be presented on Saturday, May 21, 2005 at 2:00 PM (Booth #3438) during the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, which will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.
NSF developed the program in 2004 to recognize the extraordinary efforts of individuals and organizations that have demonstrated outstanding dedication and achievement in foodservice safety. The program is part of NSF's ongoing commitment to encourage the public to live safer.
After a comprehensive review of all the nominations, the independent expert panel, comprised of leaders in the foodservice industry, identified the following winners for their groundbreaking achievements:
Lifetime Achievement Award for Service
Jim Mann, founder of The Handwashing Leadership Forum® and creator of Handwashing For Life®, will be recognized for his lifetime commitment to hand hygiene and foodborne illness prevention. During his 20 years as a chemist, Jim formulated a variety of skin care and environmental products for SC Johnson Wax. However, he recognized that knowledge was not enough to change behavior and he faced an important question. Why did handwashing rates remain so low when foodservice management and staff all knew low rates equated to high risk of illness? This question became Jim's focus and passion. With this commitment, Jim Mann built an organization which provides foodservice operators with a support system that is focused on minimizing the risk of foodborne illness. For more information about Handwashing For Life®, please visit http://www.handwashingforlife.com.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Food Safety Education
Frank L. Bryan, Ph.D., M.P.H. will be honored for his vast contributions to food safety education. He participated in training and foodborne disease epidemiology and control activities with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 30 years. Throughout his career, Dr. Bryan has provided food safety training services to numerous organizations around the world including the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, state and local health departments, the military, laboratories and universities. His training courses have covered the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) approach, foodborne disease investigation, foodborne disease control, food microbiology principles and applications and food safety in foodservice operations. He has also conducted extensive applied research on foodservice time-temperature operations, hazard analyses and prevention of foodborne diseases. Frank has devoted more than 50 years to food safety training and has spent the last 20 years sharing his vast knowledge as an educator and consultant.
Equipment Design/Product Development
San Jamar will be awarded for their uncompromising commitment to developing products that not only improve food safety practices, but are efficient, easy-to-use and cost effective. In the past 18 months, San Jamar has introduced six major innovations that help operators minimize food safety risks.
Among these are the Saf-T-Scoop™ and Guardian™ System – a food safety scoop that helps prevent dangerous ice contamination, Cut-N-Carry™ Cutting Boards that help eliminate unsafe board handling and storage, The Dome™ Garnish Center that keeps condiments chilled and safe from contamination and Smart System for Handwashing Stations – a universal, automatic, touchless roll towel dispenser with handwashing instructions to encourage proper and consistent handwashing. San Jamar has a global distribution and sales force network that helps ensure the food safety benefits of San Jamar products worldwide. For more information about San Jamar, please visit www.sanjamar.com.
Systems Improvement
This year NSF is honored to give out two awards in the category of systems improvement. John N. Butts/Land 'O Frost and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Food Safety Subcommittee will be recognized for their accomplishments in food safety systems improvement.
“I would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners for this tremendous commitment and impact they have made on improving food safety in the foodservice industry,” said William Fisher, NSF International vice president, marketing. “I look forward to presenting each of them with an individual plaque at the upcoming NRA show in May. Please join me in congratulating this year’s winners on their outstanding efforts throughout the foodservice industry.”
About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, air and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, Ltd., organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.