The award recognizes the company's product development work through its Salisbury, Maryland, innovation center.
Perdue Farms has won the Product Development and Management Association's (PDMA) 2026 Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award, which recognizes the company's ability to create value through innovation for more than a century. Now in its 39th year, the PDMA OCI Award recognizes industry-leading processes and practices, with organizations selected from a pool of entrants from around the world. Winners are evaluated through a competitive process. For 106 years, the company has grown by listening to consumers, anticipating changing needs and focusing on finding better ways to deliver value. Those principles were carried forward through Frank Perdue's work in the 1980s, branding and marketing Perdue fresh chicken directly to consumers, a first for the industry.
The Perdue Farms Innovation Center, located a few miles from company headquarters in Salisbury, Maryland, is central to the company's innovation work. Inside the center, a team of research and development associates collaborate with cross-functional teams to match processes with opportunities. Their work has produced innovations including Perdue Powered, developed to meet demand for high-protein foods; the Perdue Air Fryer Ready line, aimed at making wings and bites easier to prepare at home; and Perdue Shortcuts, meant to simplify everyday meal preparation. The company has also introduced products such as Six Seven Nuggets and Safari Nuggets.
"At Perdue, innovation begins with a simple but powerful commitment: to listen deeply, think boldly and create with purpose," said Brice Westring, senior vice president and head of research and development. "By staying close to consumers, customers and the changing needs of the marketplace, we turn insight into meaningful solutions that make people's lives better and reflect the values that have guided Perdue for more than a century. We are honored to receive the PDMA Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award because it celebrates the spirit that continues to move us forward — a culture of curiosity, collaboration and continuous improvement powered by the creativity and dedication of our associates."
"My grandfather, Frank Perdue, believed that if you build with unlimited quality and total integrity, success will take care of itself," said Chris Perdue, senior vice president of marketing and digital. "That philosophy is what drives our innovation today. For us, innovation isn't about chasing the next line extension; it's about honoring our family's legacy and commitment to doing things the right way while using modern innovation to better serve our consumers. Our family remains deeply involved in this journey, and we are proud to see our associates and farm partners carrying it forward with purpose, creativity and care."
Perdue's innovation efforts extend beyond individual products, including advancing animal care, becoming the first major poultry company to offer No Antibiotics Ever across all chicken products, and improving transportation operations and sustainability across its vertically integrated business. The 2026 PDMA Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award recognizes organizations that create long-term value through innovation.
.png)
