Quality Chekd Dairies Announces 2019 Finalists for Quality and Production Excellence Awards

Repeat finalists demonstrate continued commitment to superior quality.

LISLE, Ill. — Functional food and the consumer's connection to the importance of what they eat continues to impact the food industry, requiring innovation and increasing demand for healthier fare produced at quality facilities. In addition, consumers are looking for companies to take the initiative on sustainability and environmental issues and have started paying attention when products win industry recognition. The 2019 finalists for the Quality Chekd Irving B. Weber Award and the Quality Chekd Production Excellence Awards are all especially aware of the importance consumers place on manufacturing excellence and quality processes.

Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc., a member-owned organization of independent dairy processors, has named three outstanding dairy processors as finalists for the Irving B. Weber Award, which the organization developed and modeled after the Association for Manufacturing Excellence Award. This award represents the highest honor for overall quality throughout the Quality Chekd organization. Finalists are judged based on effective implementation of quality in all areas, from processes and products to customer service and satisfaction at a single plant location.

Several of the 2019 finalists are making repeat appearances, thus demonstrating their commitment to quality.

The following dairy processors are the finalists for the 2019 Weber Award and include the 2018 winner, Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Little Rock, Arkansas.

• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

The finalists have one thing in common: demonstrated commitment to quality and excellence in the categories of leadership, culture, production, sustainability and business ethics.

Quality Chekd will present this year’s Weber Award at the 2019 QCS Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, in October.

Quality Chekd also announced the finalists for its Production Excellence Awards, which recognize outstanding processors in three categories: fluid milk, cultured dairy products, and ice cream. The winner in each category will be decided based on selection criteria that include a plant audit, evaluation of all plant processes and systems for assuring product quality evaluation results. The following processors are finalists for the Production Excellence Award:

Fluid Milk Category

• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Little Rock, Arkansas
• Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Anderson, Indiana

Cultured Dairy Category

• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Wichita, Kansas
• Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Quincy, Illinois
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

Ice Cream Category

• Belfonte Ice Cream & Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
• Lochmead Dairy, Junction City, Oregon
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

Winners of Quality Chekd Production Excellence Awards also will be announced at the QCS Leadership Conference in October. Quality Chekd extends warm congratulations to each of the Weber Award and Production Excellence Award finalists for their continued commitment to superb quality and outstanding production processes.