<p>US Foods has revealed its 5th annual vendor recognition awards with Del Monte named as the company's 2013 Produce Vendor of the Year. During a ceremony in Rosemont, Illinois, Del Monte along with five other companies took home top honors and were named as the best US Foods suppliers. They were selected from a group of more than 3,000 vendors, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Each year this event provides us with the chance to honor and celebrate all of our dedicated vendor partners that share our passion and echo our commitment to our customers’ success,” said Pietro Satriano, chief merchandising officer, US Foods. “Selecting the best among our tremendous group of partners isn’t easy. Congratulations to the winners for setting the standard for quality and excellence in our industry.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/hl_us_foods_oct_2013_body00.jpg" alt="images 101513" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Members of the US Foods Merchandising team and Regional Vice Presidents participated in the selection process to choose the best of the best in categories such as the Innovation, which honors excellence that is transforming the foodservice industry, and Easy to Do Business With, which features suppliers who focus on collaborating with US Foods to enhance value for customers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The six companies recognized are:<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">• Innovation – FGF Brands<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">• Easy to Do Business With – Butterball<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">• Produce – Del Monte<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">• Non-foods – Pactiv<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">• Grocery – Lamb Weston<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">• Center of the Plate – Patrick Cudahy<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Vendors were evaluated on criteria that included sales and margin growth, product consistency and food safety, logistics and service levels and last, but not least, divisional sales support. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Congratulations to all vendors on the recent award!</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.usfoods.com/about-us/media/news-releases/2013/us-foods-announces-2013-vendor-of-the-year-award-winners.html" target="_new">US Foods</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
