US FOODS EXECUTIVE PROMOTES COLLABORATION AT 2012 GLOBAL FOOD SAFETY CONFERENCE
Food safety expert Jorge Hernandez shares insight on the challenges facing the food industry
ROSEMONT, Ill. – February 17, 2012
US Foods further solidified its commitment to food safety by participating in the 2012 Global Food Safety
Conference in Orlando, Fla. from February 15-17. The conference, hosted by the Global Food Safety Initiative
(GFSI), brought together more than 1,000 leading food safety specialists from more than 60 countries around the world.
Participants, including food retailers, manufacturers and government officials, discussed food safety best practices
and other issues to ensure the quality of the world’s food supply.
Jorge Hernandez, senior vice president of food safety and quality assurance, US Foods, contributed to a panel
discussion titled “Advancing Global Food Safety through Collaboration.”
“Sharing food safety best practices with global leaders leads to innovative thinking and global food safety solutions
and US Foods is pleased to share what we’ve learned with others in the industry,” said Hernandez. “Collaboration and
collective learning in the food safety realm is paramount to its success. Food safety is not the responsibility of
one organization, but the duty of every link in the food chain.”
Hernandez, who is also the chairperson of the Storage and Distribution Working Group for the GFSI, also contributed
to a seminar titled, “Fresh, Healthy and Natural – Consequences of Food Safety.” This seminar focused on the food safety
challenges the foodservice industry faces to provide fresh and natural food to customers.
“Fresh and healthy are not always synonymous with safe” said Hernandez. “We must do a better job to educate consumers
on seeking products that are fresh, healthy and safe, and ensure that in the foodservice industry, the products are grown,
stored, distributed, handled and prepared safely.”
In January, 2012, US Foods announced that it expects to be the first
national foodservice distributor in the country to be certified in food safety and quality to the International Featured
Standard (IFS), a globally recognized standard for safety and quality.
About US Foods
With nearly $20 billion in annual revenue, US Foods is the 10th largest private company in America, and a leading foodservice
distributor. Many of the entities that make up US Foods were founded in the 19th century, including one that sold provisions to
travelers heading west during the 1850s gold rush. The company had used the name U.S. Foodservice since 1993. US Foods offers more
than 350,000 national brand products and its own high-quality “exclusive brand” items, ranging from fresh meats and produce to prepared
and frozen foods. The company proudly employs approximately 25,000 people in more than 60 locations nationwide, and provides the finest
quality food and related products to more than 250,000 customers, including independent and multi-unit restaurants, healthcare and
hospitality entities, government and educational institutions. The company is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., and jointly owned by
funds managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Inc. and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Discover more at
www.usfoods.com.