NSF International, a global independent public health organization, today honored Robert O’Connor, DVM, senior vice president of technical services at Foster Farms, with a 2015 Food Safety Innovation Award. The award, announced at the Food Safety Leadership Awards ceremony during the Food Safety Summit in Baltimore, Maryland, honors outstanding breakthroughs in food safety and individuals who have made a lasting impact.
Dr. O’Connor was selected for the award by NSF International’s independent panel of food safety experts for his leadership in developing a comprehensive Salmonella control program. Under Dr. O’Connor’s leadership, Foster Farms implemented a multi-hurdle approach to controlling Salmonella which extended through all areas of the company’s operations – from breeder stock, through grow-out, to the processing plant. Since April 2014, Foster Farms has consistently achieved a Salmonella prevalence in raw parts of 5 percent or less – an industry-leading level that is three times lower than 15.4 percent parts prevalence standard proposed by the USDA in January 2015, and five times lower than the 2011-2012 USDA-measured industry benchmark of 25 percent. Dr. O’Connor has actively shared the program with the USDA, CDC and members of the poultry industry as part of a collaborative effort to improve Salmonella control nationwide.