Black Pearl Award

The Black Pearl Award recognizes a company for its outstanding commitment to and achievement in corporate excellence in food safety and quality. 

Qualifications for nominees

  • Corporation or related entity currently involved in or with the food industry.
  • Must have employees with active IAFP membership.

Information for nominees

  • Self-nominations are encouraged
  • Previous recipients of the Black Pearl Award including related entities* and entities that have merged, been acquired or renamed, and are related to or are the same as an entity previously receiving the Black Pearl Award are eligible to reapply five years after receiving this Award.
  • Nomination packets for recent Black Pearl Award recipients are available for viewing. Contact Susan Smith at ssmith@foodprotection.org to request.
    *A Related Entity means any Parent or Subsidiary of the Company and any business, corporation, partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), or other entity in which the Company or a Parent or a Subsidiary of the Company holds a substantial ownership interest, either directly or indirectly.
  • Sponsored by: F&H Food Equipment Company
  • 2026 Recipient(s): Kwik Trip, Inc.

Past Awardees

  • 2025 Sobeys Inc., Stellarton, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • 2024 Walmart Inc., Bentonville, Arkansas
  • 2023 Compass Group North America. Charlotte, North Carolina
  • 2022 HelloFresh, Berlin, Germany
  • 2021 Mondelēz International, Chicago, Illinois
  • 2020 Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc, Ontario, California
  • 2019 General Mills, Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2018 Eurofins Scientific, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa
  • 2017 Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., Rosemead, California
  • 2016 Meijer, Grand Rapids, Michigan
  • 2015 Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Arkansas
  • 2014 Sodexo, Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland
  • 2013 Publix Super Markets, Inc., Lakeland, Florida
  • 2012 The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, Ohio
  • 2011 bioMerieux, Hazelwood, Missouri
  • 2010 Fresh Express, Salinas, California
  • 2009 Schnuck Markets, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
  • 2008 3M Food Safety, St. Paul, Minnesota
  • 2007 Beef Products, Inc., Dakota Dunes, South Dakota
  • 2006 Ecolab Inc., St. Paul, Minnesota
  • 2005 DuPont, Wilmington, Delaware
  • 2004 Jack in the Box, Inc., San Diego, California
  • 2003 Wegmans Food Markets Inc., Rochester, New York
  • 2002 Darden Restaurants, Orlando, Florida
  • 2001 Walt Disney World Company, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
  • 2000 Zep Manufacturing Company, Atlanta, Georgia
  • 1999 Caravelle Foods, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
  • 1998 Kraft Foods, Inc., Northfield, Illinois
  • 1997 Papetti’s of Iowa Food Products, Inc., Lenox, Iowa
  • 1996 Silliker Laboratories Group, Inc., Homewood, Illinois
  • 1995 Albertson’s Inc., Boise, Idaho
  • 1994 HEB, Co., San Antonio, Texas