Elmira Poultry wins North American Innovation Award

Waterloo, ON, January 24, 2006 – Elmira Poultry earned top honours as Innovation Award winners at 2005 North American Foodservice Grand Prix New Product Awards.

The company’s BalanceWise Breaded Chicken Fillet with Flax was selected as the most innovative new product across nine food and five non-food categories.

Award show judges praised the nutritious offering from Elmira Poultry, saying, “The product has an excellent mouth appeal, good bite, and the breading is grainy and flavourful… the flax seed is wonderful, giving a slightly nutty flavour.”

The Breaded Chicken Fillet with Flax is a seasoned, whole-muscle chicken portion, free of trans fatty acids and enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids. It’s one of five new offerings from Elmira Poultry’s recently launched BalanceWise brand – a line of healthy poultry products that offer foodservice customers more nutritious menu options. Other BalanceWise products feature lean protein, soy, whole grains, oat bran, and low sodium.

Tim Holmes, Elmira Poultry’s Principal, explains foodservice operators are expressing a growing appetite for nutritious products. “The industry is asking for healthier options and we’re giving them plenty of choice with the new BalanceWise product line,” he says.

According to Holmes, the Innovation Award is particularly meaningful this year, as it comes just after Elmira Poultry’s 20th anniversary celebration in 2005. “To win this award in our 21st year is a special achievement,” he says. “It’s a fitting way to acknowledge the role that innovation plays at Elmira Poultry – in both our rich heritage and our promising future.”

The North American Foodservice Grand Prix New Product Awards is a joint effort of the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors (CCGD) and the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA).

The Awards recognize new foodservice products of exceptional value to operators and end consumers. “Our award winners prove the foodservice industry has a lot of creative talents and great new ideas throughout North America,” says Mark Allen, President of IFDA. “Recognition through the Grand Prix program is an important step en route to recognition by foodservice operators in the marketplace.”

For more information, please contact:
Tim Holmes, Principal
Elmira Poultry Inc.
P: 1-800-663-5694
E: timh@elmirapoultry.com