SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 28, 2025—Blue Bell Creameries of Brenham, Texas was recognized today with the International Dairy Foods Association’s (IDFA) 2025 Food Safety Leadership Award during IDFA’s Dairy Forum. The award, now in its ninth year, honors an individual, group or organization for demonstrating outstanding leadership directed at enhancing food safety within the dairy products industry.
Blue Bell Creameries has been a premier ice cream and frozen dessert maker for 118 years. Established as the Brenham Creamery Company in 1907, the company changed its name to Blue Bell Creameries in 1930 after the native Texas bluebell wildflower. Today, Blue Bell products are available in nearly half the states in the country and rank as one of the best-selling ice creams in the United States. Over the past decade, the company has transformed itself by implementing one of the dairy industry’s most rigorous food safety protocols and quality assurance programs, going beyond regulatory and industry standards to set one of the highest bars in dairy.
“IDFA is pleased to present the 2025 Food Safety Leadership Award to Blue Bell Creameries and to recognize the company’s strong commitment to embracing a ‘culture of food safety’ across the entire business, in all employees, in all aspects of its work,” said IDFA Senior Vice President for Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Roberta Wagner, one of the panelists who reviewed this year’s nominees.
In addition to testimonials from third-party industry experts, Wagner said it was the company’s investment and commitment to ongoing food safety training for staff that elevated Blue Bell.
“Food safety systems, protocols, and data are essential, but nothing is more important than rigorous and consistent training for all staff,” said Wagner.
“This award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of an entire team that shares a common goal. Together, Blue Bell has built and embraced a culture over the years where food safety is not just a priority, but a fundamental value that shapes everything we do. We are proud to be a part of IDFA, and to share in their commitment to working together to make a positive difference for the dairy industry and consumers,” said Jimmy Lawhorn, President, Blue Bell Creameries.
Blue Bell has developed and implemented comprehensive training programs on food safety for all staff, conducts rigorous internal audits, and is BRCGS-certified at all three of the company’s main production facilities since 2021, receiving the highest possible scores in each of the past two years. Additionally, the company has invested in new equipment with enhanced sanitary design, implemented new software and data solutions, upgraded its facilities, and established a robust ingredient screening and approval program.
Previous recipients of the award are Rob Shumaker, Director, Food Safety, Sanitation and Laboratory Sciences, Great Lakes Cheese (2024); Schreiber Foods, Inc. (2023); Jeremy Travis, Vice President of Quality & Technical Services, Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc. (2022); Dairy Farmers of America (2021); Edith Wilkin, Staff Vice President and Fellow, Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance, Leprino Foods (2020); The Ice Cream Club, Inc. (2019); Brian Kraus, Director of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance, Wells Enterprises, Inc. (2018); and the Cornell University Dairy Foods Extension team (2017).
A call for nominations for the 2026 Food Safety Leadership Award will be released this summer. More information about the award can be found here.
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The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation’s dairy manufacturing and marketing industry, which supports more than 3.2 million jobs that generate $49 billion in direct wages and $794 billion in overall economic impact. IDFA’s diverse membership ranges from multinational organizations to single-plant companies, from dairy companies and cooperatives to food retailers and suppliers, all on the cutting edge of innovation and sustainable business practices. Together, they represent most of the milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt and cultured products, and dairy ingredients produced and marketed in the United States and sold throughout the world. Delicious, safe and nutritious, dairy foods offer unparalleled health and consumer benefits to people of all ages.