NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release January 19, 2004
Contact:	Marci Cleary   (202) 737-4332

(Boca Raton, Fla. — January 19, 2004) At a morning ceremony during the 2004 Dairy Forum, the National Cheese Institute (NCI) awarded its highest honor, the NCI Laureate Award, to Dr. Elmer Marth, professor emeritus of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. NCI Chairman Lou Gentine, chairman and CEO of Sargento Foods, presented the award to Marth for his lifelong dedication to researching and teaching cheese safety.

The NCI Laureate Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and growth of the industry. A panel of industry professionals chooses a winner each year based on a person's long-term contributions to the industry. Dr. K. Anjan Reddy, Bel/Kaukauna U.S.A. nominated the professor for this year's award.

Marth "truly personifies the spirit of this award," noted Gentine during the award presentation. "His groundbreaking research is a key reason that the cheese industry enjoys the excellent food safety record that it has today."

Marth's life has centered around dairy since his birth, which took place on a dairy farm in Jackson, Wis., on September 11, 1927. By 1954, he had earned three degrees -his bachelor's, master's and doctorate — from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in bacteriology with a focus on food and dairy science.

After receiving his Ph.D., he served as a bacteriology instructor at his alma mater for three years. In 1957, he married his wife, Phyllis, and moved to Kraft Foods' R& D team in Glenview, Ill., where he conducted microbiological research for more than eight years. His love of teaching lured him back to University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he became an associate professor of food science, bacteriology, food microbiology and food toxicology in 1967 and a full professor in 1971. Upon his retirement from day-to-day university life in 1990, he became a professor emeritus. He continues to publish industry guidance and serve as a food safety consultant.

Marth conducted the majority of his research at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he compiled a vast body of dairy foods science, with an emphasis on cheese. His work included studies on salmonella in cheese, the behavior of aflatoxin M₁ during the manufacture and storage of cheese, and behavior of Listeria monocytogenes during various types of cheesemaking. Throughout his career, he has authored or co-authored more than 660 scientific publications, including the books "Applied Dairy Microbiology" (first edition published in 1998, second edition in 2001), "Dairy Foods Safety" (editions in 1995 and 1998) and "Listeria, Listeriosis and Food Safety" (first edition published in 1991, third edition currently in production). In 2003, Marth worked with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board to review and edit "The Wisconsin Cheese Food Safety Manual," which is now being distributed to all state cheese plants.

In addition to his critical research on foodborne pathogens, Marth has impacted the cheese industry through his talent for sharing his knowledge in the classroom, where he taught many current industry professionals. Several former students, including Dr. Tom Everson of Grande Cheese and Dr. Richard Wagner of Trega Foods, wrote letters of support for his award nomination.

Marth's research interests were not confined to microbiology. He was also the co-inventor of a process to make cottage cheese that was issued in nine countries. The method extends the shelf-life by using a hot creaming mix; this process also results in yield improvement by recovering about 70% of the whey proteins, lacto globulin and lacto albumin.

He has been a frequent speaker and active member within many food industry organizations, including the Institute for Food Technologists (IFT), International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA). Marth served as the editor of the Journal of Food Protection from 1967 to 1987, and was a visiting professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich in 1981. Many organizations, including IFT, IAFP and ADSA, have bestowed numerous honors and awards to Marth for his outstanding accomplishments.

Marth now joins the ranks of cheese industry pioneers who have won the NCI Laureate Award, including Max Gonzenbach, Rudy Nef, Don Menzner, Betsy Holden, Don Storhoff, Lester Kielsmeier, Hans Epprecht, Norm Olson, Vince Zehren, Jack Budahn, Leonard Gentine Sr., Raymond Goldbach, Harold Steinke, Dr. John H. Nelson and Dave Nusbaum. NCI will call for nominations for the 2005 NCI Laureate Award this fall.

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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-plus 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 and NCI can be found online at www.idfa.org.