NSF International Announces Recipients
of the 2007 Food Safety Leadership Awards

WHAT: NSF International (NSF) today announced the 2007 recipients of its Fourth Annual Food Safety Leadership Awards. NSF's Food Safety Leadership Awards Program recognizes groundbreaking food safety achievements throughout the foodservice industry.

WHEN/WHERE: The awards will be presented on Saturday, May 19, 2007 at 2:00 PM (CT) at McCormick Place Convention Center (Booth #3438) during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago.

WHY: As part of its ongoing commitment to help protect the public from foodborne illness, each year NSF's Food Safety Leadership Awards Program recognizes true leaders that demonstrate excellence in foodservice safety. Due to the overwhelming number of nominations this year, NSF will present two awards for the lifetime achievement, education and systems improvement categories.

WHO: After reviewing all nominations, an independent panel of food safety experts identified the following recipients for their groundbreaking achievements:

Jeannie Sneed, PhD, RD, SNS, CFSP, Iowa State University
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award
Lifetime Achievement for Education & Research
Jeannie Sneed, PhD, RD, SNS, CFSP, has over twenty years of commitment in developing retail and non-commercial foodservice food safety programs. She has served as the Principal Investigator on three large U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants, two of which developed Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) initiatives for foodservice operations and training purposes. Dr. Sneed's primary area of research has focused on mitigating cross contamination in retail foodservice establishments, which has resulted in the development of new technology for the foodservice industry. She has also developed an on-line HACCP graduate level course for foodservice and is assisting with the development of an on-line course for food industry practitioners.

Mr. Frank Yiannas, Walt Disney World
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award
Lifetime Achievement in Food Safety Leadership
President of the International Association of Food Protection, Frank Yiannas has been a leader in food safety for eighteen years. His many contributions include progressive microbial detection methods, developing hand-held computer audit technology and vendor food safety monitoring systems. He is also responsible for creating International Food Safety Icons, which represent important food safety tasks that can be recognized in multiple languages.

Susan D. Conley, USDA/Food Safety and Inspection Service
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Education
Susan D. Conley, USDA/Food Safety Education Staff Director for the Food Safety and Inspection Service, has played a key role in protecting public health through the development of consumer education outreach programs. Ms. Conley oversees the agency's consumer education activities including the Meat and Poultry Hotline and notable programs, such as "Be Food Safe," ThermyT and "Is It Done Yet"?

Shelley Feist, Partnership for Food Safety Education
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Education
Shelley Feist, Executive Director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education (PFSE), is committed to educating consumers on the four simple practices to fight foodborne bacteria -- clean, separate, cook and chill -- to ultimately reduce the risk of getting sick. Ms. Feist's coordination and outreach efforts, such as the Fight BAC!® campaign, continue to emphasize the importance of food safety practices to consumers.

Rasheed Ahmed, M.Ed, CPHI(C), DAAS, FRSH, Royal Commission Jubail
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for System Improvement
In 1986, Jubail Industrial City, one of the largest industrial complexes in Saudi Arabia with over thirty major petrochemical industries, experienced several foodborne incidents. As Environmental Health Supervisor to the Royal Commission, Rasheed Ahmed, M.Ed, CPHI(C), DAAS, FRSH took immediate action, spearheading the development and implementation of a Public Health Code as well as a HACCP plan for both the city and its industries. Mr. Ahmed's efforts also included the establishment of an Environmental Health Training Center and the screening of 4,000 food handler's health certificates.

Nelson Taylor, Sonic Industries, Inc.
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for System Improvement
Nelson Taylor, Senior Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety, Sonic Industries, Inc., will be recognized for creating and implementing a comprehensive food safety program for Sonic based on FDA's food code and systems. Utilized by its 3,200 drive-in franchisees and operators in the chain, Sonic's food safety program has maintained a consistent scoring performance by implementing stringent standards and unannounced third-party audits. Mr. Taylor exemplifies leadership in food safety and serves as a role model for resource managers, franchisees and corporate colleagues alike. For more information about Sonic, please visit www.sonicind.com.

Carol P. Wallace, Cooper-Atkins
2007 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award for Product Development
Carol P. Wallace is Chairman, President and CEO of Cooper-Atkins, a leading manufacturer of temperature, time and humidity instruments for global foodservice. Ms. Wallace has raised food safety to new levels by converting simple, inexpensive traditional products into state-of-the-art wireless monitoring systems. These innovative products quickly and accurately report temperatures for foodservice applications insuring safer food preparation. For more information, visit www.cooper-atkins.com.

"NSF International is very pleased to once again present the food safety leadership awards. I look forward to congratulating this year's winners for their outstanding achievement and advancement in areas directly impacting food safety," said William Fisher, NSF International Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President.

About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water, air and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.