The American Feed Industry Association and Feedstuffs are still accepting applications for the 2013 Feed Mill of the Year award. The program, which names a winner and a runner-up, recognizes overall excellence in feed manufacturing operations emphasizing safety, quality, regulatory compliance, operating efficiencies and overall industry awareness of food safety. There is still time to submit your application before the April 1 deadline.
“Year after year, the Feed Mill of the Year awards program continues to grow. Increasingly, firms are finding value in being able to compare internal processes against those of other participating feed mills,” said Keith Epperson, AFIA vice president of manufacturing and training. “For this reason, any feed mill concerned about inspections and other regulations are encouraged to apply.”
One of the benefits to applying for the award is that each applicant receives benchmarking information at the end of the competition, regardless of standing. Many cite this as the top reason for applying. Companies can use the feedback to improve their facility in the areas of safety, quality, efficiency, housekeeping and government compliance. Click here for a summary of the 2012 results.
Participation is limited to feed mills with current AFIA memberships. To apply for the 2013 program, please complete the online application. Once applications are processed and scored, site visits to the top finalists by an inspection team from AFIA and Feedstuffs will occur. Final selection is based on a combined scoring of the application and personal visit. The winner will be announced in the fall.
A list of the questions is available for preview here. The application can also be found on the homepages of AFIA and Feedstuffs. The application fee for the program is $35 per facility. Companies who want to enter multiple facilities must pay the fee for each. Applications are due by April 1.
Both the winner and the runner-up will be permitted to use appropriate logos for one year to promote their accomplishments. The top two facilities also receive features in the AFIA Journal and Feedstuffs.
[Come on AFIA-member aquafeed mills! We would love to see an aquafeed winner - Editor]
