Organised in association with IFE and sponsored by Tetra Pak, the 2017 World Food Innovation Awards welcomed some of the most ambitious brands of the year that are genuinely original and changing the game for all aspects of the industry – from business and production models to packaging, marketing, and the environment. The outstanding entries particularly reflected the general trends towards healthy eating, where organic and clean label products are increasingly becoming a norm and free from alternatives moving from margins to the mainstream.
Best health food
The best health food award went to LoveRaw’s Organic Food Bolsters, an improved superfood supplement made only with organic ingredients produced responsibly by Fairtrade farmers. The product revolutionises the supplement category with its fierce and disruptive edge and superb branding. Plus, LoveRaw comes in a recyclable tube and an outer frame, which includes educational information for consumers about the different uses and benefits of the package’s contents. One of the finalists in the category was Ice Cream Treats’ Yomega 3 Greek-style frozen yogurt range includes a dose of omega-3 and vitamin D developed in collaboration with Paradox Omega Oils, which is believed to have a number of different health benefits including the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Hormel Foods’ Vital Cuisine range is also recognised in the category, offering a unique nutrition product specially designed for people experiencing a decrease in appetite, unintentional weight loss and a depletion of energy due to cancer treatment.
A newcomer lifestyle brand, Mindful Bites joined them with brazil nut and cacao nib nut butter range, which is gluten- and dairy-free, rich in plant-based protein and fibre, containing no added sugar, and free from palm oil. Used as filling in the brand’s crunchy bite-sized healthy snacks as well, the nut butters are available in jars and mess-free novelty sachets. The packaging includes a ‘mindful’ message on the back to make snacking a moment of pausing and reflecting, plus a Quikkly code to access a mindful eating experience and ‘snackshots’ of content.
NewTree Fruit Company was impressive in the category with their patented technology that can selectively remove 90–95% of the naturally occurring sugars in fruit juice, answering the ever-growing consumer demand for healthier and low-sugar fruit drinks. Rushdi Foods mighty sesame tahini was also a finalist in the category, collecting points as a healthy, superfood mayonnaise alternative, offered in an easy-to-use squeeze bottle. The all-natural, vegan product is free from preservatives, sugar, salt, or other artificial ingredients and stands out as a great source of protein, as sesame contains 21.4g of protein per 100g, in comparison to 15g in tofu.
Best clean label initiative
The winner of the best clean label product category was Pure Maple’s 100% golden delicate maple syrup, which stood out as an ideal sweetener alternative with half the calories of honey. The product can also be used on fruit, desserts and ice creams or can be drizzled over roasted root vegetables and meat. Making it to the shortlist, Nutural World’s hazelnut and carob spread has only two primary ingredients (hazelnut and carob) plus just a dash of Madagascan bourbon vanilla, which provides the depth of taste that is often compared by customers to some of the most established nut spreads in the market. Also shortlisted in the clean-label initiative category, Aqua Carpatica is derived from two untouched springs deep within the pristine Carpathian mountains. The product is microbiologically pure, naturally free from all contaminants (nitrates), has very low sodium levels, full of natural electrolytes and minerals, and has a high alkaline pH of 7.8.
Best organic product
Dragsbæk prevailed over all with their organic vegan spreadable, which is a 100% plant-based and organic spread with a delicious, buttery and round taste. The product impressed the judges as a naturally dairy-, lactose-, gluten- and palm-free alternative, which has a melting profile that can be compared to spreadable butter. DasEis from Healthy Planet, joined the finalists in the category with the latest addition to their organic ice cream range which includes a non-frozen liquid chocolate lava in the middle. The artisan company’s new chocolate dressing and the ice cream variations are vegan, gluten-free and, of course, organic. DasEis collected extra points for their packaging, which is compostable and PLA-coated, as well as their cups, which have a non-plastic sealing foil and a spoon made out of corn.
Best free-from product
Once a niche segment in the food sector, the best free-from food category proved to be one of the most crowded categories in the awards this year. The winner, ICI&LA, was credited for their vegan, organic frozen food range which included a wide range of options from steaks to balls and nuggets, all free from meat and animal proteins. The pulses used in the production of the range have high nutritional and taste benefits, and they play a key role in a sustainable food system. Ready Raw’s organic bagel chips, an impressive range of vegan and raw, 100% natural, whole-food healthy bread snacks, and Dragsbæk organic vegan spreadable, were also among the vegan free-from finalists.
Nutristrength’s goat and sheep whey protein, on the other hand, stood out as a great alternative to whey-based proteins for people who have an intolerance to cows’ milk, whereas Booja Booja was praised as a premium dairy-free ice cream range, offered in fantastic packaging with an artisan edge. Finally, Cocofina’s Coconut Amino was selected as a finalist as a soy sauce alternative, which contains no allergens or GMO ingredients and is made by fermenting organic coconut vinegar, coconut nectar, onion, garlic and salt to create a sauce with savoury and sweet notes.
Set that trend
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