The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) has selected Joe Stout for its 2015 Sanitarian of the Year Award. Stout is president and founder of Commercial Food Sanitation, an Intralox company that provides solutions to food safety and sanitation challenges for food-processing plants across the globe.

The Sanitarian Award recognizes an active IAFP member for dedicated and exceptional service to the profession of sanitarian, serving the public and the food industry.

“Joe’s passion for food safety and the breadth of his knowledge gained after 35 years of hands-on experience in food-processing plants around the world is what sets him apart in this field,” says Edel Blanks, president and general manager of Intralox, New Orleans. “It’s gratifying to see that kind of commitment recognized in such a meaningful way.”

Stout served as director of Global Product Protection, Sanitation and Hygienic Design at Kraft Foods for 30 years. After retiring from Kraft Foods, Stout assembled a team of experts and founded Commercial Food Sanitation. Under Stout’s leadership, the Commercial Food Sanitation team integrates strategic consulting, industry expertise, comprehensive training and education programs to provide a broad range of food-safety-related services to food processors worldwide.

Several years ago, Commercial Food Sanitation teamed with Intralox to form a strategic alliance that offers cooperative strategies that enable food processors to achieve world-class sanitation and food-safety standards.

In addition, Stout led the Equipment Design Task Force and Listeria Intervention training for the American Meat Institute (AMI) and the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI). He has an active role with the U.S. Dairy Innovation Center and leads its Dairy Food Safety training classes. He became a Registered Sanitarian in Pennsylvania in May 1985.