Business in NLR gets U.S. honors

Commerce chief lauds Safe Foods

WASHINGTON -- An Arkansas company that exports food safety products and know-how around the world was honored Thursday by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Safe Foods Corp., which helps combat foodborne pathogens from South America to the Middle East, received the President's "E" Certificate for Exports during a ceremony in the nation's capital.

Company officials were on hand to receive the award. Nationwide, 48 companies received the distinction.

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., whose district includes Safe Foods' North Little Rock headquarters, was on hand for the event as was Gilbert Kaplan, the undersecretary of commerce for international trade.

Created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the President's E Award is "the highest recognition any U.S. entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports," Department of Commerce officials say.

Safe Foods, founded in 1999, has been working to protect the American food supply for the past two decades. Since 2008, it has exported its food-safety products, as well.

Currently, it has clients in 10 countries, including Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

"Our goal is to ensure a safer food supply for the world," said Safe Foods strategic marketing manager Lawson Hembree. "We partner with processors to reduce the pathogens that are on their products and also reduce food waste by extending the safe shelf life of their product."

In a letter to Safe Foods, Ross said the company "has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion."

"We were very impressed with Safe Foods' customized design of product offering to meet the needs of export markets," the letter stated, according to a news release. "The company's achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the U.S. economy and create American jobs."

Of this year's winners, 41 were small- to-medium size businesses. Overall, 26 of the recipients are manufacturers, the Department of Commerce said.

Safe Foods was the only Arkansas company to be recognized this year.

Safe Foods' breakthrough "antimicrobial technology" is known as Cecure. In a 2004 report, CBS News called it "a whole new concept in food safety -- one that may prevent millions of food poisoning cases a year."

Sprayed onto meat and poultry products, it can eliminate salmonella, E. coli and other health menaces.

Today, Safe Foods also offers an"assortment of effective antimicrobials and a variety of equipment options," its website states.

The company, which currently has 120 employees, plans to hang the award in its new corporate headquarters just as soon as the building is completed.

"It'll be opening soon," Hembree said.

Business on 05/24/2019

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