Nominations close on Friday, Oct. 25. Winners will be announced and recognized at Dairy Forum 2025 in San Antonio, Texas.

To be eligible for an award, a processing facility or transportation operation must implement an effective and innovative health and safety program and have illness and injury rates below industry averages reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Shumaker has worked with IDFA’s Food Safety Committee and the University of Wisconsin to determine various food safety and risk factors in cheese production.

Each company applied by providing their occupational injury and illness performance rates as well as a providing a detailed narrative essay on safety efforts at the facility and leading indicators.