ARLINGTON, VA – November 17, 2011 – Food Marketing Institute’s Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) recently recognized six recipients of its 2011 Quality Achievement Award, a demonstration of superior dedication and support to help endorse and improve the SQFI program around the globe.

Award winners include ConAgra Foods, Dairy Farms of America – Fort Morgan, Lerinda Farms, H-E-B University and EAGLE Registrations Inc. In addition to the companies, Rena Pierami, division vice president, Silliker Global Certification Services Pty. Ltd. was honored with this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award due to her continuous dedication and leadership within the SQF program.

“Our Outstanding Achievement Award winners are examples of the type of partnerships to which all our stakeholders can aspire in assuring safety of the food supply,” said Robert Garfield, senior vice president for SQFI, Food Marketing Institute. “Retailers can only succeed in business if they put the health and wellness of their customers first by selling food products that meet rigorous, credible, food safety management systems, like SQFI’s program.”

The Quality Achievement Awards recognize individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to achieving the SQF Mission of delivering consistent, globally recognized food safety and quality certification programs based on sound scientific principles, consistently applied across all industry sectors, and valued by all stakeholders.

For more information on the Quality Achievement Award Winners, visit the SQFI website here.

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Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its 1,500 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores and 14,000 pharmacies. Their combined annual sales volume of $680 billion represents three-quarters of all retail food store sales in the United States. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from more than 50 countries. FMI’s associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members. www.fmi.org

The Safe Quality Food (SQF) program is recognized by retailers and foodservice providers around the world as a rigorous, credible food safety management system. It is the only certification system recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) that offers certificates for primary production, food manufacturing, distribution and agent/broker management. This enables suppliers to assure their customers that food has been produced, processed, prepared and handled according to the highest possible standards, at all levels of the supply chain. Additionally as a division of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the SQF program incorporates continual retailer feedback about consumer concerns. This information is passed on to SQF certified suppliers, keeping them a step ahead of their competitors. www.sqfi.com