Food Safety Tech today announced the launch of the 2026 Food Safety Tech Excellence Award, a new industry recognition honoring organizations that are putting technology to work to measurably improve food safety.

The award recognizes food and beverage organizations that have implemented innovative technical solutions, including AI driven monitoring, traceability technologies, automated sanitation, and other applications that address real food safety challenges and demonstrate measurable results.

As technology becomes increasingly integrated into food safety and quality operations, the Excellence Award is designed to recognize organizations moving beyond implementation alone and demonstrating how technology can translate into stronger performance, reduced risk, and meaningful operational improvement.

Eligible organizations include food and beverage producers, manufacturers, retailers, and foodservice companies.

Recognizing Results, Not Technology Alone

The Food Safety Tech Excellence Award places particular emphasis on measurable improvement. Nominees will be asked to describe the technology or project, the food safety challenge it was designed to address, how the technology was applied, and the results achieved.

Submissions should include quantitative results where applicable, such as reductions in incident rates or downtime, improved inspection or audit scores, or faster recall response times. Organizations can also demonstrate qualitative improvements in areas including food safety culture and employee engagement.

The award also considers how technology supports broader organizational food safety excellence, including leadership commitment, communication, training, and KPI tracking. Supporting evidence may be submitted to document the impact and metrics associated with the project.

Food Safety Tech Advisory Board to Evaluate Nominations

Nominations will be evaluated by the Food Safety Tech Advisory Board using four criteria designed to assess both the immediate results and the longer term value of each initiative.

Measurable Improvement, 40%
Judges will evaluate the data demonstrating a clear reduction in biological, chemical, or physical food safety risks.

Innovation, 25%
Entries will be evaluated on the originality of the technology or the creativity demonstrated in applying existing tools to food safety challenges.

Sustainability, 25%
Judges will consider the ability of the initiative to deliver continued impact beyond its initial implementation period.

Scalability, 10%
Entries will be evaluated on the potential for the solution to be adopted by other organizations or across different levels of the food supply chain.

Together, the criteria place the greatest emphasis on a fundamental question: Did the technology make food safety measurably better?

Nominations Now Open

Organizations are invited to nominate a qualifying food safety technology initiative for consideration for the 2026 Food Safety Tech Excellence Award.

Submissions should identify the organization and FSQA team, provide a concise title and description of the technology or project, explain the problem it addressed, and document its impact. Nominees may also submit up to five supporting attachments demonstrating the project’s results and metrics.

Nominate Now: Submit a nomination for the 2026 Food Safety Tech Excellence Award

The award program comes as Food Safety Tech and the Food Safety Consortium mark their 15th anniversary in 2026. This year’s Food Safety Consortium will address technology, innovation, policy, digital transformation, AI, risk management, FSQA benchmarking, and other issues influencing the next phase of food safety.

The 15th Annual Food Safety Consortium Conference & Expo will take place October 21 through 23, 2026, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. The conference brings together food safety and quality assurance professionals for education, practical knowledge sharing, and industry collaboration.