Sunday, 26 April 2015 05:51

Food Awards seek best of the best

Written by Rural News Group

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Entries are now open for the New Zealand Food Awards, providing food, and beverage producers with the opportunity to highlight their products and businesses.

The event, organised in association with Massey University, gives producers of all sizes a platform in which grow their brands and business, while receiving feedback from an expert judging panel and benchmark themselves against others in the industry.

Winners are also eligible to use the NZ Food Awards “Quality Mark”, which can help boost sales and distribution locally and overseas.

Massey University vice-chancellor Steve Maharey says the annual awards programme celebrates new initiatives for food and beverage manufacturing in nutrition, enterprise, and food safety.

“The NZ Food Awards is a great opportunity for the companies and people contributing to the success of New Zealand’s food industry. It’s a chance to showcase innovation and excellence in an industry that makes up New Zealand’s largest export earner.”

Sealord Group took out the 2014 NZ Food Awards Massey University Supreme Award with its Hot Manuka Smoked Salmon. Sealord innovation manager Matt Mays says winning the award was recognition for the hard work put in by his team in bringing the product to life.

“We were up against some amazing products so we were stoked to win. This was a product we were really proud of so we wanted to see how it measured up against others in the industry. It was fantastic to see it come out on top and reap the benefits,” he says.

“Having access to the Quality Mark has been a great way of communicating the quality of this product to consumers. Any food or beverage manufacturer thinking of entering the competition should go for it – it’s worth it,” says Mays

The award categories are tailored to large and small producers. Large manufacturers are judged on sensory experience, packaging, innovation, manufacturing capability, food safety and research, and development. They can enter products in Beverages, Dry, Deli, Frozen, and Chilled/Short Shelf Life categories.

Small manufactures can enter products in the Convenience, Gourmet, and Indulgent categories, which are judged on technical excellence and consumer appeal. Awards are also available for health and wellness, novel ingredients, new cultivators/primary producers, food safety and quality and innovation.

Entries for the competition close on Friday July 10. For more information, please visit www.foodawards.co.nz.

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