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Cincinnati: Kroger Manufacturing, a division of The Kroger Co., has been recognized by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) for outstanding worker safety performance.

Kroger Manufacturing recently received six Worker Safety Awards from IDFA, a leading dairy industry manufacturing association. The Kroger-owned dairy plants were among a select group of facilities honored for having the best safety records among dairy processors based on 2007 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data.

The Kroger facilities recognized are:

•Centennial Farms Dairy, Atlanta, Ga.

•Michigan Dairy, Livonia, Mich.

•Pace Dairy of Indiana, Crawfordsville, Ind.

•Riverside Creamery, Riverside, Calif.

•Vandervoort Dairy, Fort Worth, Texas

•Westover Dairy, Lynchburg, Va.

“We are committed to worker safety in all of our manufacturing operations,” says Calvin J. Kaufman, president of Kroger Manufacturing. “We believe nothing we do is worth risking an injury and we focus on training and teamwork to prevent accidents. We appreciate all of our associates who help make our plants safe places to work for themselves and their co-workers.”

During the last 10 years, Kroger Manufacturing has reduced accidents at its 41 U.S. facilities by 80 percent. So far in 2008, the company’s dairy manufacturing facilities are on track to further improve their top-rated safety performance.

“We are pleased to honor Kroger Manufacturing for its excellent safety record," says Clay Detlefsen, vice president of regulatory affairs for IDFA, which represents U.S. dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers. "Kroger’s performance in these and other dairy operations shows that their worker safety training is thorough, consistent and effective.”

For more information, go to: www.kroger.com.