Everyone is concerned about food safety when the shit hits the fan. It’s the top priority.

Sysco Corporation has agreed to settle with the State of California all claims related to its past use of drop sites in the state. The $19.4 million settlement includes a payment of $15 million in penalties, $3.3 million to fund four California Department of Public Health investigator positions for five years, a $1 million donation to food banks across California, and $127,000 in costs.

Sysco issued the following statement today regarding its commitment to food safety. Bill DeLaney, Sysco’s president and chief executive officer, said:

“Food safety is Sysco’s No. 1 priority, and it cannot be compromised. We sincerely regret that some of our California companies failed to adhere to our long-standing policies related to drop sites. The California Department of Public Health and the county district attorneys received our full cooperation in their investigations of our practices. In addition to the settlement with the state, we have comprehensively addressed our food safety and quality assurance practices in California and across the Sysco enterprise by putting in place the following positive steps:

“First, as we stated in September 2013, we eliminated the use of drop sites across Sysco. Second, we have introduced mandatory, annual food safety training for all employees across Sysco. Third, we are implementing additional and improved food safety reporting, monitoring and compliance controls across our operations to ensure adherence to our policies.”