WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Sani Professional, the food safety division of Professional Disposables International (PDI), and the Sani Professional Food Safety Advisory Council (SPFSAC) are proud to announce the winners of the Fifth Annual Sani Awards™. The awards program celebrates innovation and excellence in food safety and promotes best practices in the foodservice industry for leadership, education and training, and employee and guest experience programs.
This year’s winners were presented during the Townhall Session of the 2019 Food Safety Summit at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL.
- The Cheesecake Factory Food Safety Team for Outstanding Food Safety Program Innovation. The team, led by Dr. Al Baroudi, developed and successfully implemented the Hazel Analytics Food Safety Insights Systems which resulted in marked improvement in health inspections, violations and re-inspections across The Cheesecake Factory operations. A significant decrease was seen in violations per inspection and re-inspections decreased by 45%. This new system supports The Cheesecake Factory’s ongoing improvement efforts in food safety, quality and compliance.
- Cindy Jiang, Senior Director of Global Food and Packaging Safety, McDonald’s for Leadership in Food Safety. Cindy was cited for her exceptional commitment and dedication in advancing food safety through leadership, standard setting, collaboration, and sharing best practices in the food industry. For over 5 years, she has led the global food safety programs and practices within the McDonald’s system. Under her stewardship, the food safety management system is continually strengthened from farm to the restaurant within the McDonald’s system. Cindy is instrumental in leading the initiative to establish “Food Safety Week” and “Food Safety Fair” at the McDonald’s organization globally. These events have raised strong awareness of the importance of food safety and advanced the food safety culture within the company. Food safety is a non-competitive area; Cindy’s engagement with the Global Food Safety Initiatives (GFSI) Board has contributed to the advancement of a food safety certification program globally. Cindy believes strongly in collaboration and community involvement; she worked tirelessly to promote the development of the GFSI Global Market Program which is used across food companies around the world to improve their food management systems and achieve food safety certification.
- Dr. Al Baroudi, Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, The Cheesecake Factory for Food Safety Champion. In celebration of the program’s fifth year milestone, this special award honors and recognizes an individual’s outstanding commitment to food safety and overall body of work that has had a lasting and major impact in the industry.
Dr. Baroudi’s food safety career spans over 35 years. Even among his highly respected peers, he is considered a true subject matter expert when it comes to food safety and quality. Dr. Al is regarded in the industry as a mentor and coach who is always willing to teach and help others elevate their knowledge on food safety and encourage best practices that promote it. Dr. Al has always been at the forefront of food safety innovation – developing, collaborating and successfully implementing new approaches and technologies.
His list of credentials and accomplishments is long, and the following are worth noting:
- He was instrumental in passing the Food Facilities Sanitization Bill AB 1427 in the California State Assembly
- He was a member of the Blue Ribbon Task Force Committee, Washington DC on E. coli O157:H57
- He is a globally recognized keynote speaker in food safety conferences
- He introduced HACCP programs to developing countries on behalf of the US government
- He has published numerous whitepapers and articles on food safety and trained food safety auditors and inspectors in the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and federal, state and local health agencies.
Dr. Baroudi has contributed far and wide to the global food safety industry, a true champion of food safety in the past, present, and for years to come.
About the Sani Awards™
The Sani Awards program celebrates innovation and excellence in food safety and promotes best practices in the foodservice industry for leadership, education and training, and employee and guest experience programs. For more information, visit saniawards.com
About Sani Professional®
Sani Professional®, a division of PDI, is a purpose-driven company deeply rooted in the prevention of Community Associated Infection (CAI). The Company’s line of disposable pre-measured, pre-moistened state-of-the-art wipe products and solutions are ideal for hard surface cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting as well as hand sanitizing. These products are EPA and NSF-registered and, as appropriate, FDA food code compliant, meeting the highest industry safety standards. Visit saniprofessional.com
About PDI
PDI helps reduce preventable infections, control healthcare costs and, ultimately, save lives by
delivering a broad range of evidence-based, market leading environmental hygiene and patient
care solutions in the community and healthcare environments. PDI has three divisions, Sani Professional®, PDI Healthcare and Contract Manufacturing. Visit wearepdi.com.
