U.S. Foods to be First National Broadline Distributor to Earn International Food Safety and Quality Certification

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February 2, 2012

Rosemont, Ill. -- U.S. 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. U.S. Foods selected NSF International to certify each of the company’s 60 distribution facilities across the country.

“Nothing is more important than the safety, quality and integrity of the food we deliver to customers and they serve to diners, so we’re committed to certifying every one of our distribution centers to demonstrate our continuing leadership in food safety and quality assurance,” said Jorge Hernandez, senior vice president of food safety and quality assurance, U.S. Foods.

“U.S. Foods continues to make improvements across the company to reduce our environmental footprint and allow us to serve our customers in an energy efficient way,” said Sam Erwin, Oklahoma City Division President, U.S. Foods. “These five new vehicles will help us drastically reduce our annual fuel costs while reducing the amount of emissions emitted during our daily deliveries to customers.”

The food safety and quality certification process is already underway at several U.S. Foods distribution centers and all facilities are expected to be certified by the end of 2013.

IFS Logistics is part of a food and non-food supply chain standards family that includes IFS Food, which is benchmarked by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), the world's leading authority on food safety.

“We are pleased to welcome US Foods to the IFS family of safety and quality standards for food and non-food supply chain activities,” says Stephan Tromp, Managing Director IFS. “Their decision to apply IFS Logistics will enhance the company’s ability to provide customers with safe, quality food and non-food products consistently while developing operational efficiencies. Customers will know that US Foods operations, products and services meet the highest standards of safety and quality in the world.”

NSF International is one of the most recognized and respected third-party food safety certification providers.

“NSF International is delighted to be chosen by US Foods in this ground-breaking project to certify their facilities over the next year and to support their continuous improvement program. We are proud of our almost 70 year history of protecting public health through food safety,” said Robert Prevendar, director of supply chain food safety for NSF International.

About U.S. Foods
With nearly $19 billion in annual revenue, U.S. Foods is the 10th largest private company in America, and a leading foodservice distributor. Many of the entities that make up U.S. 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. U.S. 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.

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