Jul 31, 2006 9:41 AM, from staff and wire reports

Gold Kist Inc received the 2006 Supplier of the Year Award for protein products from the H J Heinz Co for efforts to improve quality and reduce costs. The supplier provides fully cooked chicken products to Heinz.

Heinz noted Gold Kist's high quality standards and product innovation during the presentation of the award at the Heinz North American 2006 Supplier Symposium. Gold Kist and Heinz have worked closely in developing joint process improvement projects that resulted in more than $1 million in cost savings and improved sales over the past year.

Gold Kist is the third-largest chicken company in the United States, accounting for more than 9% of chicken produced in the United States in 2005. Its operations include nine divisions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.