St. Cloud, Minn. (September 3, 2013)—GNP Company™, the Midwest’s leading chicken producer of the Gold’n Plump^® and Just BARE^® chicken brands, received the poultry industry’s highest safety honor for its feed mill in Arcadia, WI. Nationally recognized by the Joint Industry Poultry Safety & Health Council, the “Award of Distinction” was granted on August 21, 2013 for outstanding safety performance at a National Safety Conference for the poultry industry held in Amelia Island, Florida. The award came just two years after the same facility received the council’s “Award of Honor,” demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence in safety. A recognition event for feed mill team members was held Tuesday, August 27.

According to Kari Waters, corporate health & safety manager for GNP Company, award consideration was based on criteria set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which included recordable incidents and those that resulted in days away from work; days that restricted work; or those that resulted in being transferred to another area over the last 3 years. Award consideration was also based on a written explanation of the facility’s safety programs and safety success.

According to Waters, the facility’s last OSHA recordable incident was nearly 4 years ago, and the last lost time incident was about 6 years ago. “That’s really ‘stand out’ safety performance and a testament to the commitment of our people to a safe working environment,” she stated. As to how the facility achieved its superior performance, Waters credits the success to “strong leadership, team member involvement, as well as innovative programs that contribute to improved health and safety.”

Additional examples of GNP Company’s safety program include regular meetings on safety topics, safety training, and team member participation in coming forward with any safety concerns or potential hazards they observe, in order to avoid issues before they become problems. “They recognize that individual responsibility and accountability on a peer-to-peer level are key factors in safety success,” Waters added.

The Arcadia, WI feed mill team is made-up of approximately 16full-time and several part-time team members who have been working in the facility, on average, 15years. The team makes and delivers feed to more than 5 million chickens being raised on area family farms. Many team members started with Arcadia Fryers before being purchased by GNP Company in 1993.

Since the purchase, the company has continued to invest in the Arcadia area and its team members: it completed a multi-year, multimillion dollar expansion in 2010 which included a new hatchery in 2006. It also opened an onsite Health and Wellness Center in Arcadia, earlier this year. “We’re proud of our people and can’t say enough about the passion they show in their work—this is one example of the commitment we see from our team members that drives such outstanding results,” Waters concluded.

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About GNP Company™ and Its Dedication to Healthy

Based in St. Cloud, MN, GNP Company is a family-owned provider of premium branded and custom chicken products to retail, deli and foodservice customers nationally.  It distributes products under the Just BARE^®, Gold’n Plump^® and Sunny Roost^® brand names.  The company employs about 1,600 people and partners with nearly 350 family farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin to produce wholesome, high-quality chicken. For more information about the company and its mission of “dedicated to healthy food, families and farms,” visit GNPCompany.com.  For more information about its specific brands and products and to find chicken recipes, general cooking and safe handling tips and nutrition information, visit GoldnPlump.com and JustBareChicken.com.