NSF Presents 2018 Food Safety Leadership Award

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – NSF, a global public health and safety organization, announced Dr. Hal King, Founder and CEO of Public Health Innovations LLC, as this year’s recipient of the Food Safety Leadership Award at the 2018 Food Safety Summit.

Each year, the Food Safety Summit Educational Advisory Board (EAB) evaluates the nominations on the basis of innovation, impact and overall contribution. The EAB is a highly motivated volunteer group made up of industry leaders representing all key areas that are important to food safety professionals including manufacturing, foodservice, regulatory, academia, retail and distribution.

The 2018 Food Safety Leadership Award for Innovation and Achievement recognizes Dr. Hal King for his contributions to food safety and the protection of public health. Throughout his 25+ year career, he has investigated foodborne illnesses and other diseases, performed funded research on causation of diseases, worked to prevent adulteration of foods, and designed and implemented preventative controls for food safety hazards in the food industry.

Dr. King created the EmergiProtect app, which is a proprietary hand hygiene model to help retail and other foodservice ensure emergency food safety management. He also authored the books Food Safety Management: Implementing a Food Safety Program in a Food Retail Business and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventative Controls Improving Food Safety in Human Food Manufacturing for Food Business.

“Dr. King is known as a collaborative, passionate and thoughtful industry leader, who is always willing to help solve critical food safety issues,” said Kevan P. Lawlor, President and Chief Executive Officer of NSF. “It’s his kind nature, expertise and involvement in innovative solutions like the Emerge-Protect app that make him an outstanding choice for this year’s Food Safety Leadership Award. We are honored to present this award to such a deserving candidate as Dr. King.”

Dr. King served as the former Director of Food and Product Safety at Chick-fil-A, Inc., where he led and implemented Chick-fil-A’s food safety management program. An active member of the community, he was the past chairman of the National Restaurant Association Quality Assurance Executive Study Group, a board member on the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the FDA and CDC Industry Partnerships, and the past president of the Georgia Association for Food Protection.

NSF’s Food Safety Leadership Award recognizes individuals and organizations for real and lasting improvements in food safety. Created in 2004, the awards encourage the development of educational programs, processes and technologies to advance food safety.

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NSF is an independent, global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the food, water, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment. Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide. Operating in more than 175 countries, NSF is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center on Food Safety, Water Quality and Indoor Environment.

NSF provides expertise and accredited food services across all supply chain sectors, including agriculture, animal feed and welfare, produce, processing, distribution, dairy, seafood, quality management software, retail and restaurants. Services include Global Food Safety Initiative, foodservice equipment and nonfood compounds certification, HACCP validation and inspection, label claims verification and certification, DNA and food package testing, product and process development, and organic certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI).