HILO, Hawaii, April 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- For its excellence in protecting quality from farm to table and in customer service, Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i Hilo plant was awarded the Dean Foods CEO Quality Award for fluid milk. This award is the company's top honor and Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i Hilo was selected over Dean Foods' 70 other dairy plants after a rigorous, one-year judging process.

Dean Foods CEO Gregg Tanner presented the award to Mel Moniz, Plant Operations Manager, of the Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i Hilo plant on April 22. Tanner was joined by Hilo Mayor Billy Kenoi in acknowledging Meadow Gold's far reaching excellence.

"Dean Foods holds its plants to incredibly high standards, making for particularly stiff competition surrounding this award," said Tanner. "We are delighted with the level of excellence Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i exemplifies, and we're proud to hold them up as an example."

This top honor is the culmination of an intensive assessment process. Three ice cream plants and five fluid milk plants, including Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i Hilo, were selected as Excellence in Quality Award winners based on multiple criteria such as Safe Quality Food (SQF) Program scores, training participation and consumer complaint improvement.

These eight plants were then scrutinized further by Dean Foods' senior leadership who took into account quality innovations, best practices and the "quality culture" within the plant. The Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i Hilo emerged as the cream of the crop in the fluid milk category.

"Our team is committed to providing everyone on the Big Island and throughout Hawai'i with wholesome, great-tasting dairy products every day," said Moniz. "Superior quality has always been a top priority for Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i, which is why we are so honored to be recognized as Dean Foods' top fluid milk plant."

About Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i

Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i has been providing wholesome, nutritious, and delicious food and beverages to Hawai'i's people and families since 1897 when seven O'ahu dairy farms formed a cooperative to create a stronger presence in the marketplace. The statewide Meadow Gold Dairies Hawai'i team takes great pride in providing Hawai'i consumers with the freshest, highest quality dairy, juice, beverage, ice cream, and frozen novelty products available.

CONTACT: Sayeda Mahler, 214-721-7766 or media@deanfoods.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140423/77546

SOURCE Dean Foods Company