Des Moines, Iowa—The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) selected Fresh Express, Inc., as the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Black Pearl Award. Sponsored by Wilbur Feagan and F & H Food Equipment Company, the Black Pearl Award will be presented at the IAFP 2010 Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California 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 IAFP.
Fresh Express based in Salinas, California, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. and the nation's leading producer of fresh salads. As a leader in fresh foods for more than 80 years, Fresh Express is dedicated to providing consumers with safe, healthy, and convenient fresh salads, vegetables, fruits, and snacks.
Fresh Express created the world's first packaged salads for the food service industry over 30 years ago. Later, with their invention of the Keep Crisp Bag, Fresh Express salads were made available in retail stores for the first time nationwide. Today, more than 60 Fresh Express salad products are available in 24,000 grocery stores throughout the U.S.
"Food safety is not only part of our strategy, it is in our company DNA," said Fernando Aguirre, CEO, Chiquita Brands International, Inc. In addition, he said, Fresh Express always strives to “do the right thing” to protect the health and well-being of their consumers, employees, and communities.
"From the start, our commitment to food protection and the highest degree of sanitation has been unprecedented," says Tanios Viviani, President, Global Quality & Food Safety, Innovation and Emerging Markets for Chiquita Brands International. "Our food safety practices consistently exceed industry standards and government guidelines, and are carefully documented and continuously validated through internal and third-party inspections and audits."
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