Mills Family Farms captures 2005 ACI Best of Class Award in foodservice for Wholeaves® 
from The Produce News, October 11th, 2004

The results are in, and the nation’s best of class leaf lettuce for foodservice is Mills Family Farms Wholeaves®, according to a blind taste test conducted by the American Culinary Institute.

Mills Family Farms Wholeaves® received the prestigious 2005 ACI Best of Class Award, beating out numerous foodservice competitors in its respective category.

Extensive taste testing was conducted by ACI, using professional independent chefs all certified in ACI’s taste and sensory certification program.

The judging follows strict criteria and uses thorough, disciplined testing techniques based in the food science, flavor and sensory industries. The judging protocol used at ACI was adapted specifically for the organization from well-known industry methodology.

During the evaluations, the chef-judging panels do not know brand names or clues as to the manufacturer of each product. ACI evaluates thousands of food and food-related products every year and only one winner is chosen in a comparable set of competing products. To receive the ACI Best of Class Award in the foodservice industry, Mills Family Farms Wholeaves® had to receive the highest quality taste score in the leaf lettuce category while meeting specific taste quality standards.

“American Culinary Institute is here to help the foodservice industry professional find the best-tasting food and best-performing food-related culinary equipment products in the marketplace,” said Dieter Doppelfeld, certified master chef and a master taster for ACI. “We’re pleased to bestow the ACI Best of Class Award on Mills Family Farms Wholeaves® for its superior taste qualities among its competitors. When seeking to procure leaf lettuce product, foodservice professionals know that ACI’s panels of experienced chefs have given its endorsement of approval to Mills Family Farms Wholeaves® as the best tasting product in its class.”

“ACI has put together the most credible, non-biased evaluation process for food products possible. This award supports our commitment to bringing the best-tasting quality products to the professional foodservice industry,” said James L. Mills, senior vice president of Mills Family Farms. “We’re extremely pleased to know that chefs agree that we have the best-tasting leaf lettuce on the market, and we’re confident foodservice professionals will agree with the decision of the ACI chef evaluation panels.”

As an ACI Best of Class Award winner, Mills Family Farms Wholeaves® may take advantage of the ACI Award’s endorsement program and display the ACI Award on its packaging, publicity materials, advertising, sales collateral materials and at trade shows.

Mills Family Farms, based in Salinas, CA, is a vertically integrated grower and shipper. For almost half a century, it has been supplying the foodservice industry, retailers, wholesalers and brokers nationwide with quality lettuce and a large variety of Western vegetables. It ships more than 10 million cartons annually from 12,000 acres of the richest farmland year-round.