NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release
	Contact:	Susan Ruland Marci Cleary (202) 737-4332

(Washington, D.C. — October 29, 2003) The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) is pleased to announce the five winners of the 2003 Supplier Excellence Awards: Chr Hansen, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis.; Huhtamaki, Kansas City, Mo.; Pecan Deluxe Candy Company, Dallas, Texas; Scholle Corporation, Northlake, Ill.; and Tetra Pak, Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill. IDFA and its constituent organizations — the Milk Industry Foundation, National Cheese Institute and the International Ice Cream Association — will recognize the award winners at their respective Worldwide Food Expo exhibit booths today, the opening day of the show.

"We have been truly impressed with the level of dedication and service that each of these five suppliers offers the dairy industry," said IDFA President and CEO E. Linwood Tipton. "It's fitting that we recognize these valuable partners on the show floor of Worldwide Food Expo, in front of the global food and dairy industries."

The biennial IDFA Supplier Excellence Awards recognize dairy industry suppliers that demonstrate continued excellence in service, innovation and commitment to processors and manufacturers, and to the industry as a whole. The competition, held every two years in conjunction with Worldwide Food Expo, requires that each entry be nominated by a dairy company and that each is an Expo exhibitor. There are three industry categories: milk/milk products, cheese, and ice cream/frozen desserts. The nominations outlined suppliers' accomplishments in a number of areas, including: productivity, quality, service/delivery, supply chain management, and product to market efficiencies.

Chr Hansen, Inc. is being honored for its work within the cheese industry. "Chr Hansen is a strategic supplier for cultures and rennet that assists in our cheese production. They provide high quality, consistency and economical products that help us meet our customer specifications," wrote nominating company Glanbia Foods, Inc. "Chr Hansen's ingredient innovations and processing know-how are key elements of their commitment to the dairy industry, and ensure that dairy processors remain competitive in a changing marketplace. They have been dedicated to the success of dairy processors since 1874, when they first introduced standardized cheese rennet."

Chr Hansen is exhibiting at two Expo booths, #N2720 and #S6728, where it is displaying its specialized products that are derived from their core areas of expertise: Easy-Set/dairy, meat, wine, probiotic, and animal health cultures; ChyMax; flavors; colors; seasonings; sweeteners; and tablet excipients.

Huhtamaki is being recognized for its achievements in the ice cream and frozen dessert industry. "They are a world leader in paper and plastic packaging, aggressively marketing new and European designs to the United States," noted Wells' Dairy, Inc., the nominating company. "Huhtamaki was instrumental in designing the innovative cup for our Friazo dessert. We view the relationship with them as a value-added, true partnership that allows our company to stay on the leading edge with new product offerings."

At Expo booth #S7608, Huhtamaki is displaying its packaging solutions for the consumer product markets, including cultured dairy and frozen desserts. Specializing in paperboard and plastic containers of molded fiber and flexible materials, the company designs, engineers, and manufactures packaging that is prominent in today's supermarket.

Pecan Deluxe Candy Company is being honored for its commitment to the ice cream and frozen desserts industry. "Our working relationship is one of open ideation and constructive feedback spanning over 13 years," stated nominating company Wells' Dairy, Inc. "Pecan Deluxe and Wells' Dairy have worked together toward a common goal of providing the consumer with innovative products that today promote our recent concept of 'uncontained delight.' Pecan Deluxe has proven time and time again that they are dedicated to keeping this industry's leading line of products fresh and exciting to this market segment."

At Expo booth #S7931, Pecan Deluxe Candy Company is displaying its broad array of innovative ingredients, from chewy chunks of fudge to crisp, buttery pralines to chocolate-coated nuts and a vast array of sauces. Since 1950, this company has put its technical expertise and practical experience to work by helping customers develop flavorful food add-ins.

Scholle Corporation is being recognized for its service to the ice cream and frozen desserts industry. "Our partnership with Scholle Corporation has been a benchmark of excellence in our supplier relationships," said nominating company Country Fresh, LLC. "Scholle has been a supplier of bags and filling equipment to us since 1997….We faced a challenge in 2002 when we had the opportunity to substantially increase our soft-serve ice cream mix business. We chose to partner with Scholle because their bags were better, more reliable, and they have excellent customer and technical service. We knew we'd be getting the best quality and the latest technology."

In Expo booth #S6032, Scholle is displaying its bag-in-box packaging solutions for dairy, beverage and food processors. Its flexible bags are available in variety of films and sizes with precision-molded spouts for filling and dispensing refrigerated, extended shelf-life or aseptically packaged liquids, such as milk, cream, ice cream mix, yogurt, and flavorings and ingredients. Its filling equipment includes rotary, aseptic and bulk fillers.

Tetra Pak, Inc. is being honored for its dedication to the milk and milk products industry. "They are a supplier to us in several ways, including processing systems, packaging systems and packaging itself. A true partnership has developed between us over the last several years," noted Schroeder Milk Company, the nominating company. "Also, when we looked to diversify our business, they were there to share information on the latest technology, market trends, and business models of other successful customers abroad….I cannot think of anyone else in the supplier network that can match Tetra Pak in wealth and sharing of resources."

Tetra Pak Inc. can be found in Expo booth #S6014, where company representatives can explain how the company develops, produces and markets complete food processing and packaging solutions. Best known for its aseptic processing and packaging solutions, Tetra Pak is also an innovative provider of plastic bottling solutions and provides systems engineering, packaging materials, technical field services and spare parts support.

# # #

IDFA is the Washington, DC-based organization representing the nation's dairy processing and manufacturing industries and their suppliers. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), National Cheese Institute (NCI) and International Ice Cream Association (IICA). Its 500+ members range from large multinational corporations to single-plant operations, and represent more than 85% of the total volume of milk, cultured products, cheese, and ice cream and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States — an estimated $70-billion a year industry. IDFA can be found online at www.idfa.org.