Silliker Inc., a leading food testing and quality assurance organization, recently honored the Tropical Nut & Fruit distribution plant in Memphis, TN for its outstanding commitment to food safety with its 2008 Audit Platinum Award.

Each year, the award is presented to 20 companies – 10 processing plants and 10 distribution centers – receiving the highest scores in Silliker GMP/Food Safety Systems and Distribution Center Audits.

Rena M. Pierami, division vice president of technical services, Silliker Inc., commended the facility for its exceptional food safety and quality systems. Tropical Nut & Fruit specializes in premium snack mixes, raw and freshly roasted nuts and seeds, dried fruits, and hundreds of bulk and packaged candies, spices, grains, and specialty foods. The company was founded in 1977 with an original product line of 100 items that has grown to include more than 3000 today. The company serves the grocery, foodservice, health food, and candy industries.

“The Memphis plant performed exceptionally well in all phases of our rigorous and comprehensive distribution audit,” Pierami stated. “We congratulate them on the preparedness of their highly dedicated safety teams and the outstanding integration of their quality assurance systems.”

“We’re delighted to once again receive this award,” said John Bauer, Tropical Nut & Fruit pesident/CEO. “It reflects our continued dedication to superior food safety and quality. Seeing our efforts in these areas recognized by a highly reputable third party is extremely satisfying for our entire team.”

Silliker conducts several thousand audits across North America annually. Silliker Distribution Center Audits combine a host of recognized industry practices and principles, as well as recommendations from the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria in Foods and FDA, into comprehensive evaluation forms used by Silliker auditors. These comprehensive audit evaluations involve a systems review as well as a physical assessment of the facility in the implementation of food safety and quality systems procedures.

For more information, visit www.tropicalfoods.com.