Nomination Period Opens for Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award

McLean, VA – The Frozen Food Foundation today announced nominations are being accepted for the Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award, presented in conjunction with the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). The award honors an individual, group or organization for preeminence in and outstanding contributions to the field of research impacting food safety through freezing. This is the first such award presented by the Frozen Food Foundation.

“Food safety is the highest priority for the members of the frozen food industry, and this award is an opportunity to encourage additional innovation in food safety technology through freezing,” said Frozen Food Foundation Chairman Reid Wagstaff. “The foundation is proud to sponsor this recognition of excellence in research benefitting the food industry and, in turn, consumers.”

Previous research has demonstrated that freezing can promote food safety by killing or significantly reducing potentially harmful microbes in foods. Still, additional opportunities exist for increased use of freezing technologies as a barrier to the spread of food-borne pathogens.

“IAFP has a longstanding tradition of rewarding excellence in the area of food safety, but this is the first award we have given specifically relating to the benefits offered by the freezing process and other freezing technologies,” said IAFP Executive Director David W. Tharp. “More advanced research in this area has great promise for enhancing the protection of the global food supply.”

The International Association for Food Protection will be receiving award nominations through February 16, 2010. Award nomination forms and instructions for submitting nominations for the Freezing Research Award can be found online at http://www.foodprotection.org/ and http://www.frozenfoodfoundation.org/. The award winner will be announced at the 2010 IAFP Annual Meeting in August in Anaheim, Calif. The recipient will receive a plaque and a $2,000 honorarium sponsored by the Frozen Food Foundation.

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The Frozen Food Foundation exists to foster scientific research, public awareness and industry education regarding the nutritional and safety attributes of frozen foods for the benefit of the common good. The Frozen Food Foundation is affiliated with the American Frozen Food Institute.