2021 QCS Leadership Conference

QCS Purchasing Cooperative

Awards of excellence presented at the virtual ceremony as the three-day conference wraps up

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES, November 3, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- QCS Purchasing Cooperative and Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc., wrapped up their annual three-day QCS Leadership Conference on Thursday with an online awards presentation that recognized outstanding production and product quality. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this is the second consecutive year that the conference was held in a virtual environment.

According to QCS Purchasing Cooperative President and CEO Ken Klug, “While we were disappointed with the need to transition our conference to a virtual event again this year, we knew it was necessary to safely deliver the quality event that those in our organization look for from the Cooperative. Keeping our member-owners and supply partners connected and engaged is one of our primary roles at QCS, as it allows our community to address the complexities of the ever-changing food and beverage industry. And with consumer habits changing due to the pandemic, this connection has proven more important and valuable than ever.”

The 2021 QCS Leadership Conference provided an online forum where food and beverage manufacturers and suppliers from throughout the United States and South America could learn new information, ideas, and strategies for remaining competitive in the consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) industry. The conference theme “Driving Impact & Innovation" addressed the challenges that the member-owners have experienced in supply chain issues, purchasing, production quality, food safety, labor shortages, and sales and marketing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how aligning and collaborating with strategic supply partners within the community can help them overcome these challenges and drive innovation in the food and beverage industry.

The virtual conference featured a QCS State of the Cooperative and an overview of QCS value-added services available and applicable to all QCS member industry segments. Members earned recognition at the virtual awards presentation on the last day of the conference for product quality excellence.

Orange Juice Product Excellence Award
The Quality Chekd Orange Juice Product Excellence Award recognizes the member company that earns the top score for orange juice flavor based on USDA standards for orange juice from concentrate. The 2021 Orange Juice Product Excellence Award was given to:
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Little Rock, Arkansas

Eggnog Excellence Award
The Quality Chekd Eggnog Excellence Award recognizes the member company that earns the top score for regular eggnog and lite eggnog through the Quality Chekd “Nog Off” Contest. Eggnog samples are evaluated and scored based on consumer preference with respect to sensory perceptions of appearance, body, texture, and flavor. The 2021 Eggnog Excellence Award for regular eggnog was given to:
• Marva Maid Dairy, Newport News, Virginia

The 2021 Eggnog Excellence Award for lite eggnog was given to:
• Royal Crest Dairy, Denver, Colorado

Merit of Excellence Awards
The Quality Chekd Merit of Excellence Awards recognize individual plants of member companies that consistently achieve high quality standards as measured by monthly testing at the Mérieux NutriSciences/Quality Chekd Laboratory in Fluid Milk, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream. The following member company plants earned 2021 Quality Chekd Merit of Excellence Awards for Fluid Milk:
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
• Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, Maine
• Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Anderson, Indiana
• Prairie Farms Dairy Inc., Rockford, Illinois
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

The following member company plants earned 2021 Quality Chekd Merit of Excellence Awards for Cultured Products:
• Belfonte Ice Cream & Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Norman, Oklahoma
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Tyler, Texas
• Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Quincy, Illinois
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

The following member company plants earned 2021 Quality Chekd Merit of Excellence Awards for Ice Cream:
• Belfonte Ice Cream & Dairy Foods Company, Kansas City, Missouri
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Springfield, Missouri
• Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Tyler, Texas
• Lochmead Dairy, Junction City, Oregon
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

Plant Assessment Awards
The Quality Chekd Plant Assessment Awards recognize individual plants of member companies that achieve a formal quality and food safety audit score of 96% or higher through the Quality Chekd Compliance Program. A total of 36 member company plants earned the 2021 Quality Chekd Plant Assessment Award.

Dairy Quality Excellence Awards
And finally, the Quality Chekd Dairy Quality Excellence Awards recognize the member company plants that achieved the top score through the Quality Chekd Compliance Program in the categories of Fluid Milk, Extended Shelf Life and Aseptic Milks, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream. The 2021 Quality Chekd Dairy Quality Excellence Award for the Fluid Milk category was given to:
• Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Anderson, Indiana

There was a three-way tie for the 2021 Quality Chekd Dairy Quality Excellence Award for Extended Shelf Life and Aseptic Milks category. The awards were given to:
• Alquería Dairy, Cajicá, Colombia
• Alquería Dairy, Medellín, Colombia
• Meijer Dairy, Tipp City, Ohio

The 2021 Quality Chekd Dairy Quality Excellence Award for the Cultured Products category was given to:
• Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon

The 2021 Quality Chekd Dairy Quality Excellence Award for the Ice Cream category was given to:
• Lochmead Dairy, Junction City, Oregon

Next year’s QCS Leadership Conference will be held at the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, California, October 9-11, 2022. For more information about the QCS Leadership Conference, please visit QCSPurchasing.com/news-events/conference-information.

About QCS Purchasing Cooperative
QCS Purchasing Cooperative is the largest purchasing cooperative of its kind in the food and beverage industry. More than 200 national and regional supply partners provide members with resources and discounted pricing on equipment, ingredients, packaging, facility operations, and services specific to their industry. QCS Purchasing Cooperative is member-owned and managed as not to generate a profit. For more information about QCS Purchasing Cooperative organization or membership, please visit QCSPurchasing.com.

About Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc.
Quality Chekd works on behalf of dairy processors by providing them with services to improve business success, as well as providing consumers with safe, delicious dairy products. For more information about the Quality Chekd organization or membership, please visit QChekd.com.

Ken Klug
QCS Purchasing Cooperative
+1 630 717-1110
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