For the seventh consecutive year, The Bloodhound Group partnered with client Steritech, an industry leader in food safety and consulting, to conduct finalist assessments and select the winners in Steritech’s annual Excellence in Food Safety Awards program. At a recent ceremony in Louisville, Ky., Steritech President Doug Sutton presented the top award to Whole Foods Market, with Brinker International (parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant brands), Chicken Salad Chick and Topgolf receiving honorable mention.
The annual awards program not only recognizes outstanding food safety practices but also emphasizes the ongoing commitment to food safety excellence across the foodservice industry. The program has historically centered on the fast casual dining sector, but in 
2025 Steritech broadened the award’s scope to encompass all industries and sectors with a food safety program. Food industry brands across the country submitted nominations for the award, which were narrowed to a select group of finalists.
The Bloodhound Group conducted independent, third-party interviews to assess the finalists and ultimately choose the winners. Judging criteria considered performance and initiatives supporting Steritech’s seven pillars of food safety, including senior leadership engagement, communication, standards and procedures, training, key performance indicators (KPIs), oversight programs and positive recognition. BHG has worked with Steritech on the annual Excellence in Food Safety Awards since the program’s inception in 2019.