The Gulfood Innovation Awards has marked its biggest showing to date by honoring 12 breakthrough product and new-to-market concepts with winners hailing from 11 nations across five continents. The awards, attracted more than 300 entries in 12 categories, including two new honors – The Best Packaging Design Impact and The Best New Product Development. “The expansion of the honors’ list is a reflection of the diversity of the industry and the ability of F&B innovators to continue to push the boundaries. The caliber of entries from the Health and Wellness, Organic and Sustainability segments also demonstrates the continued growth of these sectors and the ability of Gulfood to set the agenda for industry development,” said Mark Napier, Exhibition Director, Gulfood.
Innovators take top honors
UAE company, Hunter Foods Ltd LLC claimed the inaugural Best New Product Development honor for its Gourmet Mixed Tropical Fruit Chips, while Iran’s Mani Food Development Company took The Best Packaging Design/Impact award for its Pure Honey Sachet. “It’s an honor to win this award for our Gourmet Mixed Tropical Fruit Chips, a combination of baby banana jackfruit, pineapple and cantaloupe. The innovation keeps the nutrients preserved, making it a great snack for any time of the day,” said Ananya Narayan, Managing Director at Hunter Foods. “These awards are another marker that we are heading in the right direction, but we want to keep innovating. One of our key mantras as a company, is transformation and innovation. Last year we won the award for Best Organic, this year for product development so hopefully we can keep on this track.”
Innovators across the board were rewarded for their ingenuity in progressing the industry during the gala ceremony. Sri Lankan company Eternitea claimed the Most Innovative Soft Beverage title for its collagen drink, while Switzerland’s Sustainable Coffee SA clinched Most Innovative Hot Beverage honors for its 100 percent compostable pods that are oxygen tight and compatible with the highly popular Nespresso Pro machine. “We truly believe in sustainability. We’ve been working for four and a half years to get to this point. It took a while to get the right material, the right oxygen barrier and that’s the innovation, our products are 100 percent compostable,” said Elizabeth Da Costa, co-founder of Switzerland Sustainable Coffee SA and the innovator behind the winning product.
Turkey’s Pinar Sut Mam. San. A.S. stepped up to the plate for Most Innovative Dairy Product with its choco labneh, while Most Innovative Halal Food went to the UAE’s Global Food Industries LLC for its fusion plant protein burger made of peas, kale and quinoa.
Future-focused F&B ideas
Kuwait’s star was in the ascendency when Americana Foods took the award for Most Innovative Baked or Confectionary Product for its chocolate, crème and feta cheese baked product while Italy’s Giuliano Tartufi S.R.L. won the Most Innovative Condiment or Sauce category for its truffle powder.
Europe was in the spotlight when Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat, from the Netherlands, won the Most Innovative Frozen or Chilled Food for its ‘The Beyond Burgers’ range. The Most Innovative Organic Product honor went to Germany’s Dr. Klaus Karg KC for his organic crunchy bites oven-backed snacks. Australian innovation excellence was rewarded when Health Lab Pty Ltd scooped the Most Innovative Health and Wellness Product title for its Probiotic Wellness Balls, which are made from 100 percent natural ingredients, are vegan-friendly and free of dairy, gluten and added sugars.
Progressive products on display
Award entries were open to all of the 5,000 exhibitors from more than 198 countries, which is expected to attract upwards of 98,000 attendees across the five-day run. The awards were adjudicated by an expert panel of noted chefs, food writers, packaging producers and marketers. The award-winning products and many other product innovations available at the show are on display in the Discover Zone, one of eight immersive features in the expanded program for Gulfood 2019.
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector.
Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC).
She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book.
She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter.
Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler.
It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
