McDonald's USA recently announced it has selected Tyson Foods Inc., a trusted poultry supplier for many of McDonald's restaurants, as the 2010 Supplier of the Year. McDonald's unveiled the U.S. Supplier of the Year Award at the recent U.S. Supplier Summit, an annual gathering of key U.S. McDonald's suppliers and distributors, held in Schaumburg, near its Oak Brook, Illinois, headquarters.

As a McDonald's supplier for nearly 30 years, Tyson Foods won the Supplier of the Year Award for taking the initiative to implement a highly effective cost mitigation and savings program for McDonald's, and playing a leading role in many other areas, including sustainable supply, and the development of quality and food safety standards. This is the first time Tyson Foods has been honored as McDonald's Supplier of the Year.

"Tyson Foods is looked upon as a trusted and strategic provider by the McDonald's brand and our franchisee community," says Dan Gorsky, senior vice president of McDonald's North America Supply Chain. "They stand as the epitome of all the qualities we look for in our best suppliers, from leadership, partnership, and teamwork to quality and innovation."

"We value our relationship with McDonald's and are grateful they have chosen to recognize our efforts with this prestigious honor," says Devin Cole, Tyson Foods senior vice president and general manager of the McDonald's business unit. "Our Tyson team members work hard every day on behalf of McDonald's and we look forward to demonstrating our continued commitment."

The McDonald's U.S. Supplier of the Year Award is presented annually to the food, paper, or product supplier that makes the most significant impact on, and contribution to, McDonald's U.S. business results from the previous year. The award criteria include commitment to quality and food safety, product, equipment and process innovation, exemplary customer service, and value.