The QCS Purchasing Awards program recognizes its members and supply partners who go above and beyond their peers in a variety of categories. Recipients gain prestige within the organization, the food and beverage industry, and their service areas. QCS awards highlight achievements in member & supply partner collaboration, product quality & food safety excellence, QCS supply partner program marketing to members, innovation, member & supply partner leadership and QCS Community Value Commitment (QCS Value Creator Award).
| COLLABORATION AWARD | PROGRAM PROMOTION AWARD | INNOVATION AWARD |
|---|---|---|
| The QCS Best Collaboration Award honors initiatives that deliver excellence through the joint efforts of a member and supply partner working together to solve a problem either or achieve the desired outcome. | The QCS Supply Partner Program Promotion Award will honor QCS supply partner organizations’ creative QCS member-based marketing campaigns that communicate the provided value, benefits, and advantages to QCS members | This interactive, fun, and fast-paced session is where QCS supply partners present their latest innovations, groundbreaking solutions, and new products. QCS members determine the winner by investing their “play” cash. |
| Submission deadline: 07/21/25 | Submission deadline: 07/21/25 | Submission deadline: 08/01/25 |
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| ENTER NOW | ENTER NOW | ENTER NOW |
The QCS quality award program recognizes its members that go above and beyond their peers in a variety of quality & food safety categories. Our major awards, The Irving B. Weber Award and the Dairy Quality Excellence Award are given to the top plants who achieve the highest ranking in various categories and are recognized by their peers as the ‘BEST OF THE BEST” within our organization.
The Irving B. Weber Award for Quality Excellence
for Total Quality Excellence is our highest honor for plants participating in the QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Program and the finalist pool is comprised of plants that have won a Dairy Quality Excellence Award. The Irving B. Weber award recognizes the top-performing plant for superior product quality, as determined by scoring in the quality testing program, operational excellence as indicated by Global Food Safety Initiative audit standards, and outstanding employee safety practices. This plant stands out as having reached the goals to which all exceptional businesses aspire.
The Dairy Quality Excellence Program (DQE)
The QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Awards recognize our top-quality performers: those that consistently demonstrate adherence to our organization’s elevated quality standards. Products are submitted monthly and subjected to stringent testing conducted by our program coordinators at Merieux NutriSciences.
The Merit Award Program
QCS Merit of Excellence Awards are presented to our QCS Dairy Quality Excellence participants that consistently adhere to and exceed our elevated quality standards as measured by monthly product testing conducted by Mérieux NutriSciences. And as if that isn’t enough, to qualify, members must also demonstrate outstanding performance on annual third-party Quality and Food Safety Assessments conducted by independent accredited auditing firms. Because our Merit Award compliance levels are well above the industry norm, this creates a significant but rewarding challenge.
Plant Assessment Award
Our QCS Plant Assessment Awards are granted to plants participating in the QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Program that achieve a formal Quality and Food Safety Audit score of 96% or higher. These annual assessments are quite rigorous and are conducted by an accredited, approved third-party food safety auditing firm. Plants receiving this award have demonstrated a level of organizational excellence and quality assurance that is not only commendable but also assures that the QCS organization represents the highest standards in the industry.
The Irving B. Weber Award for Total Quality Excellence is our highest honor for plants participating in the QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Program and the finalist pool is comprised of plants that have won a Dairy Quality Excellence Award. The Irving B. Weber Award recognizes the top-performing plant for superior product quality, as determined by scoring in the quality testing program, operational excellence as indicated by Global Food Safety Initiative audit standards, and outstanding employee safety practices. This plant stands out as having reached the goals to which all exceptional businesses aspire.
The Winner of the 2024 Irving B. Weber Award for Quality Excellence is:
–Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon
The 2024 award season saw Umpqua Dairy deliver an unparalleled performance, winning in every category they entered: Fluid Milk, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream. Such an accomplishment is unprecedented in the history of the Dairy Quality Excellence Awards, with no records showing similar success since the 1980s. View complete Press Release here.
The winners of the 2024 Dairy Quality Excellence awards have shown an exceptional ability to navigate obstacles while maintaining superior product quality in the categories of Fluid Milk, Extended Shelf Life (ESL) and Aseptic Milk, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream. QCS Dairy Quality Excellence Awards recognize the top-quality performers in the QCS Purchasing Cooperative’s Quality & Food Safety Program and are based on scores achieved in monthly product testing.
QCS Purchasing Cooperative, a member-owned buying group for food and beverage companies, has named the winners for the Dairy Quality Excellence Awards in the categories of Fluid Milk, Extended Shelf Life (ESL) and Aseptic Milk, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream.
Meijer Dairy from Tipp City, Ohio, has secured the Dairy Quality Excellence Award in the ESL & Aseptic Milk Product Category. (view press release).
QCS Purchasing Cooperative announced that Umpqua Dairy, a Shehadey Family Foods Brand, has achieved an unprecedented sweep in the 2024 QCS Dairy Quality Excellence (DQE) Program. Umpqua Dairy, located in Roseburg, Oregon, excelled in all three categories—Fluid Milk, Cultured Products, and Ice Cream—marking a first in recent history for QCS programs. (view press release).
The Merit of Excellence Award is presented in the following categories: fluid milk, ice cream, and cultured products. Because our Merit of Excellence Award compliance levels is well above industry standards, this creates a significant but rewarding challenge. Open to members enrolled in the QCS Q&FS program. QCS recently announced the winners for the Merit of Excellence Awards. View the press release here.
The QCS Quality & Food Safety Plant Assessment Awards are granted to participants that achieve a formal Quality and Food Safety Audit score of 96% or higher. These annual assessments are quite rigorous – some may say ‘brutal’ – and are conducted by an accredited, approved third-party food safety auditing firm. Plants receiving this award have demonstrated a level of organizational excellence and quality assurance that is not only commendable but also assures that QCS Members represent the highest standards in the industry. Open to members enrolled in the QCS Q&FS program. QCS recently announced the winners for the 2024 Plant Assessment Awards. View the press release here for the complete list of winners.
This annual contest takes place during the height of Egg Nog season in December. The evaluations were based on consumer preference and conducted by a diverse panel of individuals including the staff of Mérieux NutriSciences Lab. Scores were based on body, appearance, and flavor. The award is open to all QCS members.
2024 Egg Nog Winners – A Landmark Year for the Contest
This year marked a milestone with the first-ever plant-based nog category, highlighting the evolving landscape of the food and beverage industry. HP Hood’s Oat Nog impressed judges with its creamy texture and rich, festive flavor, setting the bar high for future plant-based entries.
Producers Dairy Foods, Inc., and Royal Crest Dairy continued the tradition of excellence with their standout regular and lite eggnogs. Judges praised the balance of flavor, noting creamy, custard-like textures and the perfect hint of nutmeg.
• Producers Dairy Foods Inc., a Shehadey Family Foods company – Fresno, CA – Winner for Regular Egg Nog
• Royal Crest Dairy, Inc. – Denver, CO – Winner for Lite Egg Nog
• HP Hood LLC – Oneida, NY, for their Oat Nog – Winner for Plant-Based Egg Nog
View 2024 Egg Nog Winners Press Releas
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