Kingsville, ON – Representatives of Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET® were in Washington DC this week to accept the prestigious Dupont Food Quality Award for 2010. A panel of impartial judges from DuPont Qualicon and presenter Food Quality magazine selected for the first time in its 10 year history a fresh produce company to receive this prize.
Headquartered in Kingsville, Ontario, Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET® was chosen as sole winner of the award honoring a North American business for outstanding food safety initiatives. According to one judge, Mastronardi Produce won because “all aspects of the business appear to be aligned toward producing high quality, safe food within a sustainable environment.” Also noted by the panel were the company’s extensive community involvement and its “substantial investment in technology supported by very strong improvement and quantifiable results in all areas measured.”
“Mastronardi Produce is committed to food safety and food quality. We have a solid team of dedicated professionals leading our Food Safety Department and maintaining the programs that continue to keep us ahead of the game,” stated Paul Mastronardi, President. “Our goal is to provide the highest level of food safety and quality, and to continuously exceed government requirements. Our mandate is to constantly be proactive.”
“It is an honor to be recognized for our outstanding efforts in food safety and quality with this award sponsored by DuPont Qualicon, a worldwide leader in health and safety solutions” said Joe Darden, Vice-President, Food Safety. “I am proud to work for a company that demonstrates an unwavering passion and commitment to food safety, product quality, customer satisfaction, environmental concerns and support for community while maintaining competitive business results.”
Presented April 20, 2011 at a ceremony hosted by DuPont Qualicon during the Washington, DC Food Safety Summit, the Food Quality Award honors the dedication and achievement of a North American Quality Assurance/Quality Control team that has made exceptional contributions to food safety and consumer satisfaction with a positive impact on business results. Other finalists this year were: Berks Foods, Cargill Value Added Meats, EatnPark, Hi-Tek Rations, Land O’ Frost, Sabra Dipping Company West, Sandridge Food Corp., and U.S. Foodservice. The selection of Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET® for is groundbreaking in the industry as it represents the first ever win by a supplier of fresh produce. Past recipients include Hormel Foods, Michigan Turkey Producers and Tyson Foods.
Mastronardi Produce began growing vegetables in Leamington, Ontario in the 1920's and was the pioneer of building commercial greenhouses in North America in the 1940’s. Family owned & employee managed for more than 60 years, Mastronardi prides itself in producing consistently flavorful gourmet greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers for top retailers across the North America. Mastronardi Produce has developed their nationally recognized SUNSET® brand of produce into a household name with quality products like the Campari®, Zima™, One Sweet™ and Kumato™.
To learn more about Mastronardi’s extensive offering of gourmet greenhouse vegetables, please visit www.sunsetproduce.com.
Source: Mastronardi Produce/SUNSET®
