Tyson wins the 2005 Food Quality Award

Seven laboratories are accredited to the ISO/IES 17025 standard by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, while an eighth lab has just begun the accreditation process. Additionally, Tyson’s Food Safety and Research Laboratory maintain a quality management system that is ISO 9001 certified.

“I have been in awe of the commitment made in facilities, training and space by Tyson Food Safety and Laboratory Services Network to earn their ISO 9001-2000 and 17025 ratings and carefully assess each new quality and safety question as new processes and products are proposed and taken through pilot and production scale start-ups,” Dr Michael G. Johnson, president of Food Microbiology and Quality Associate Inc., of Springdale, wrote in a July 14 letter to Dr. Apple.

Letters of Support

Johnson’s letter of support as a nominee for the Food Quality Award was just one that was packaged in Tyson’s award application, and all shared the same tone.

“From my 35 years of professional experience, working in two academic institutions and two major food related Fortune 50 and 100 sized companies and in numerous other food companies, I can emphatically state that none has set a higher standard for quality and safety than has your [FSLS Network],” Johnson says.

Dr. J. Stan Bailey, a USDA research microbiologist, agreed, saying Tyson’s management has “consistently given both excellent leadership and financial support to the laboratory and food safety and quality professionals within the company.”

Dr. Walter Bottje, head and director for the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.), echoed the same sentiment.

“There is an extensive research program going on in these labs in collaboration with several departments at the University of Arkansas that is built upon rigorous experimental design,” he says. “Often, results of these studies are reported in the public domain that provide benefit not only to Tyson Foods, but to competitors as well. It needs to be recognized that these studies are on the cutting edge of research in this area. Our department is excited about establishing even stronger collaborations with Dr. Neal Apple and his team at Tyson.”