The American Meat Science Association (AMSA) announces that Randall Huffman, Ph.D. has been named an AMSA Fellow and is a recipient of the 2014 AMSA Signal Service Award. The AMSA Signal Service Award was established in 1956 and is given to members in recognition of devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry and to the association. The Signal Service Awards are sponsored by Keystone Foods, Johnsonville Sausage Company and Elanco Animal Health.Dr. Huffman will be honored at an Awards banquet during the AMSA 67^th Reciprocal Meat Conference on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 in Madison, WI.

“Dr. Huffman is recognized for his devoted service and lasting contributions to the meat industry as well as being an influential member of AMSA.  His contributions to the organization as a leader make him a worthy recipient of the AMSA Signal Service Award and the recognition of AMSA Fellow,” stated Betsy Booren, American Meat Institute. 

Dr. Huffman is Senior Vice President of Operations and Chief Food Safety Officer at Maple Leaf Foods Inc. In this position, Dr. Huffman is responsible for leading the operations functions at Maple Leaf Foods including food safety, manufacturing, corporate engineering, quality assurance, process technology and the Six Sigma continuous improvement programs. This mandate includes working with Maple Leaf’s Fresh Pork, Poultry, and Prepared Meats businesses to drive profitable growth and deliver shareholder return. He has specifically been responsible for developing and executing comprehensive strategic plans for food safety, quality and manufacturing that ensure the company is implementing best operating practices, standardized processes, and best in class technologies including the deployment of Six Sigma methodology.

Dr. Huffman leads the Food Safety Advisory Council, a team of external experts with the mandate to increase Maple Leaf’s access to global knowledge about best practices in food safety management and increase our expertise in areas of food safety, microbiology and regulatory compliance. 

Dr. Huffman served as AMSA President in 2010-2011.  During his tenure on the board, a number of strategic steps were taken to broaden the reach of AMSA internationally.  Specifically, a Memorandum of Understanding was established with the Canadian Meat Science Association to foster professional development of the meat science discipline and create joint programing to improve membership benefits for both organizations. Additionally, during his tenure the board worked diligently on the internal governance and financial stability of the organization.

In recognition for his contributions to the industry, Huffman received the Achievement (2004) and Extension-Industry Service (2009) Awards from AMSA. In 2014, Huffman received the Food Safety Leadership Recognition Award from NSF-GFTC.

Source: AMSA