IFPTI Receives NSF International 2011 Food Safety Leadership Trendsetter Award

The International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI), the leader in delivering career-spanning, standards-based food protection training, will be awarded the 2011 NSF Food Safety Leadership Trendsetter Award at the Food Safety Summit on April 20, 2011. The announcement from NSF International recognizes IFPTI as a first-year program leading the charge in food safety leadership, initiative, and laudable accomplishments.

IFPTI has trained more than 1300 food protection professionals from 47 states and provided emergency training for regulators and industries responding to the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Now, through a multidisciplinary curriculum team, IFPTI is developing the first-ever national curriculum for the integrated food safety system.

The NSF Food Safety Leadership Award was created to recognize leaders in foodservice who have made a real and lasting impact in food safety. Each year, NSF International seeks nominations from throughout the food safety community and convenes an independent panel of food safety experts from academia, industry and the regulatory community to select the winners. Nominations are evaluated based on creativity, innovation, design, and the contributions made to the advancement of food safety.

“Our team is honored to receive this award from NSF International”, said Gerald Wojtala, executive director of IFPTI. “It is a privilege to be recognized by our colleagues in the food protection community. There is great work being done to integrate the food safety system and training is a key component for its success.”

“IFPTI has trained over 1300 food protection professionals from 47 states through a multidisciplinary curriculum team,” said Tom Chestnut, vice president, NSF International Supply Chain Food Safety and Quality. “I congratulate Gerald and his team for their ongoing commitment to food safety training.”

About NSF International NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, certifies products and writes standards for food, water, and consumer goods to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide and operates in more than 120 countries. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.

NSF’s Food Safety Programs offer a total food safety solution to growers, processors, distributors, retailers and food-service operators, as well as food equipment and beverage manufacturers. NSF services include training and education, certification to Global Food Safety Standards (e.g. SQF, BRC, GlobalGAP, FSSC, etc), auditing and registration services such as ISO 22000. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations and organic certification provided by QAI (Quality Assurance International).

About IFPTI The International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization building and administering the training infrastructure for the nation’s integrated food safety system.

Working with federal regulatory and public health officials, IFPTI is establishing and overseeing the implementation of a career-spanning food protection training curriculum that will increase capacity, and assure competency and equivalency throughout all regulatory jurisdictions in meeting established U.S. federal food safety standards.

IFPTI is a member of the GFPI global initiative, a knowledge-exchange and resource-development network seeking to influence the adoption of food protection practices and policies in pursuit of a safe, secure, and healthy food supply.

Financial support for IFPTI is provided by a grant from the Food and Drug Administration, and through the generosity of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.