Four Food Facilities Honored for Integrated Pest Management Excellence 2011

Four food facilities have been named 2011 Gold Medal™ IPM Partner Award winners by Orkin, The IPM Institute of North America and NSF International for their outstanding commitment to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) partnerships.

IPM is an environmentally friendly pest management approach that emphasizes multiple methods of nonchemical pest control and prevention. The four winning facilities were honored for their adherence to comprehensive IPM programs that focus on vigilant sanitation, prompt adherence to structural pest management recommendations, diligent record keeping and staff participation in IPM training sessions.

“The key to any successful IPM program is partnership,” said Orkin Director of Quality Systems Zia Siddiqi, Ph.D. “By working closely with their Orkin teams, the 2011 award winners have proven that a strong partnership goes a long way in earning high scores on third-party audits and achieving pest management goals.”

The 2011 Gold Medal IPM Partner Award winners, selected from an elite group of approximately 50 nominees from across the country, are:

• PETCO Distribution Center #198 (Joliet, Ill.)—One of four main distribution centers for the leading specialty retailer of premium pet food and supplies.

• PETCO Distribution Center #499 (Aurora, Colo.)—One of six regionally based distribution centers for the leading specialty retailer of premium pet food and supplies.

• Tarrier Foods Corp. (Columbus, Ohio)—One of the country’s largest producers and co-packers of chopped candies, ice cream toppings and salad toppings.

• Turano Florida Bun (Orlando, Fla.)—A state-of-the-art baking facility offering world-class soft bun products to the Southeast restaurant and foodservice markets.

Now in its eighth year, the Gold Medal IPM Partner Awards began as an effort by Orkin and The IPM Institute of North America to encourage the use of IPM and other environmentally friendly pest management practices.

“It’s great to see these companies utilizing an IPM program to proactively manage pests in their facilities,” said Dr. Thomas Green, president of The IPM Institute of North America. “Implementing IPM tactics like sanitation and facility maintenance can go a long way to help prevent pests, which also results in fewer chemical treatments, both of which benefit the business overall.”

As a co-presenter, NSF International brings to the program its food safety knowledge and auditing expertise.

“The 2011 award winners understand that a successful IPM program is critical to food safety and quality assurance, and they’ve worked diligently to earn superior third-party audit scores and protect their products, employees, customers and the environment,” said Jim Bail, director, Food Safety & Quality, NSF International.

About the Awards Jury

• Jim L. Bail, director, Food Safety & Quality, NSF International

• Austin M. Frishman, Ph.D., B.C.E., founder, AMF Pest Management Services, Inc.

• Dawn H. Gouge, Ph.D., associate professor and associate specialist—Community IPM, University of Arizona

• Thomas A. Green, Ph.D., president, The IPM Institute of North America, Inc.

• Ron Harrison, Ph.D., director of Technical Services, Orkin, LLC

• Frank Meek, BCE, International Technical and Training director, Orkin, LLC

• Zia Siddiqi, Ph.D., BCE, director of Quality Systems, Orkin, LLC

About Orkin, LLC

Founded in 1901, Atlanta-based Orkin is an industry leader in essential pest control services and protection against termite damage, rodents and insects in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Asia and the Mediterranean. With more than 400 locations, Orkin’s almost 8,000 employees serve approximately 1.7 million customers. The company serves homeowners and numerous industries, including food and beverage processing, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, retail, warehousing, property/facilities management, schools and institutions. Orkin is proud to be recognized by the National Pest Management Association as a QualityPro and GreenPro-certified company, addressing not only our customer’s pest control needs, but also their concern for protecting the environment. Learn more about Orkin at http://orkin.com. Orkin is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc. (NYSE: ROL).

About The IPM Institute of North America

The IPM Institute of North America, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization formed in 1998 to foster recognition and rewards in the marketplace for goods and service providers who practice IPM. The Institute’s mission is to accelerate adoption of IPM in agriculture and communities through consumer education and development of IPM standards for self-evaluation and IPM certification. The Institute is funded by grants from government, private foundations and industry, memberships and fees for services and programs. Learn more at www.ipminstitute.org.

About NSF International

NSF International is an independent organization that certifies products and writes standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.

NSF offers certification to global food safety standards, such as British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Safe Quality Food (SQF). These global food safety certification systems promote consistency across the supply chain and provide independent certification that a product, process, or service complies with international, regulatory, and other specified standards.

NSF's Global Food Safety Division

Services offered by NSF's Global Food Safety Division include: foodservice equipment certification; food safety auditing and certification for the produce, agriculture, poultry, egg and livestock industry; consulting & technical services; Global Food Safety Standards certification (SQF, BRC, GlobalGAP, FSSC 22K, IFS); restaurant and supermarket food safety; seafood testing and auditing, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, Aquaculture Certification Council (BAP ACC) certification, HACCP validation and inspection, bottled water/flavored beverage quality certification; organic and gluten-free certification, and education and training.

Additional NSF International services include dietary supplement and nutritional ingredient certification, drinking water certification and safety audits, management systems registrations (e.g. ISO 14001); and sustainable business solutions.