Land O’Frost Inc., one of the nation’s best-selling brands of pre-sliced, pre-packaged lunchmeats and a producer of specialty sausage products, announced its Vice President of Research John N. Butts, Ph.D., won the 2016 Food Safety Leadership Awards Recipient for Lifetime Achievement from NSF International Inc., the leading global certifier of Global Food Safety schemes among the agriculture, processing, food equipment, restaurant and retail industries for more than 70 years. Dr. Butts was selected for his role as a food safety advocate and food processing scientist with more than 40 years of experience creating innovative food protection solutions.
“We are incredibly proud to have had Dr. John Butts as a member of the Land O’Frost family for many years and we have benefited greatly from his wisdom, passion and deep commitment to innovation,” said David Van Eekeren, President and CEO at Land O’Frost. “His impact on the greater food industry, including his work to champion the policy of sharing best practices across companies, cannot be overstated. It is truly fitting that he be honored with this award.”
The NSF International Inc. Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes leaders within the food industry who have made significant contributions to advancing food safety. Dr. Butts and other 2016 NSF Food Safety Leadership Award winners were honored with an awards ceremony at the 2016 Food Safety Summit, held May 10-12 in Rosemont, IL.
“I am humbled to have been selected for this award and would like to express gratitude to the many teams and talented individuals with whom I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with over the years,” said Dr. John N. Butts, Vice President of Research at Land O’Frost. “I strongly believe that by working together as an industry, we can continue to make meaningful progress in food safety that will have a tremendous benefit on business stakeholders and consumers alike.”
Under Dr. Butts’ leadership, Land O’Frost has maintained the highest levels of food safety. He commissioned the team that developed Land O’Frost’s “Seek & Destroy” (S&D) process to identify and control Listeria monocytogenes growth niches, which has since been adopted across the meat industry in partnership with the North American Meat Institute. He also introduced technologies to minimize transfer within high-risk areas and implemented Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points well before they became mandated by the USDA.
Dr. Butts’ influence has also stretched far beyond Land O’Frost. He has helped many other food companies integrate scientific principles and food technology in real-world manufacturing settings to enhance food safety, assure product quality and deliver efficient solutions. In 2010, Dr. Butts established Food Safety By Design, LLC, a private consulting firm that aims to help producers of high risk products learn how to prevent and manage food safety risks.
Dr. Butts received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Master of Science in Food Science from Kansas State University. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in Food Science from Purdue University.
Source: Land O’Frost
