SQFI Reveals 2024 Excellence Awards Finalists

Individuals selected in Auditing and Practitioner Leadership categories

2/26/2024

The winners of the of the SQF Excellence Awards will be honored during the SQF Unites event next month in New Orleans.

The Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), a division of Arlington, Va.-based FMI – The Food Industry Association has revealed the six finalists for its 2024 SQF Excellence Awards in advance of the 2024 SQF Unites event taking place March 11-14 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, where the winners of each category will be unveiled.

The Excellence in SQF Auditing award goes to a credentialed SQF auditor who demonstrates exceptional performance and dedication to the SQF program through high-quality audits, professional development activities, leadership and mentorship skills, and promotion of food safety culture. The three 2024 finalists for the award are Bradley Rush, lead auditor at Dayton, Ohio-based EAGLE Certification Group; Stacey Brown, cGMP and SQF food safety auditor at St. Ann, Mo.-based ASI Food Safety; and Tadashi Mizuta, lead auditor at Yokohama-based SGS Japan Inc.

The award for Excellence in SQF Practitioner Leadership is given to an SQF practitioner within an SQF-certified site who shows extraordinary leadership and promotion of food safety at their workplace.

This year’s finalists are Samantha Shinbaum, associate director of regulatory policy and compliance at Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods Inc.; Robert Clark, quality manager at Austin, Texas-based Vital Farms; and Hugo Lopez, quality assurance manager at London, Ontario-based Heritage Coffee Co. Ltd.

The winners will receive their awards during SQF Unites on Tuesday, March 12 at 4:30 p.m. CDT. At the ceremony, SQFI will also celebrate the recipients of the FMI Foundation Food Safety Auditing Scholarships, which are awarded to students currently enrolled in food and agricultural science majors with expressed interest in the field of accredited food safety auditing.

The SQF Excellence Awards are sponsored by Penrith, New South Wales, Australia-based Exemplar Global.

The SQF program is hosted by SQFI – Safe Quality Food Institute, a division of FMI. The trade association administers the SQF program, a rigorous and credible food safety and quality management program recognized by retailers, brand owners, and foodservice providers worldwide.