The World Food Innovation Awards 2021, in association with IFE, are a celebration of innovation and excellence across every category of the global food industry. We asked the second half of our judging panel what they are hoping to see from this year’s entrants.
There are 28 trophies to be won in total, and being shortlisted provides a hallmark of success that will prevail long after the awards draw to a close.
These judges’ criteria points will hopefully offer inspiration and help in crafting the winning entry.
The deadline for entries is Friday 29 January.
Maria Mascaraque
Insight Manager for Food and Nutrition, Euromonitor
In these unprecedented times and with an ever conscious and empowered consumer, the need for innovative food concepts is more important now than ever to meet the changing demands. I am excited to be part of the judging panel for the 2021 World Food Innovation Awards and here is what I am looking for:
- New values: What is the need that you are solving? How do you differentiate against the competition? What is your value-add? Being first to market doesn’t guarantee success but it opens a potentially great opportunity.
- Health-focused: at times in which health is paramount, consumers are increasingly looking for targeted functionality in the food they eat as a key component of wellbeing. Functional natural ingredients and concepts around permissible indulgence are a plus for me. Important to not compromise on taste though!
- Purpose-driven: environmental and social responsibilities are incredibly important. Climate concerns, the war against single-use plastic and supporting local and vulnerable communities are front and centre. I will be looking for how purpose-driven aspects are represented in the brand. Are you a circular brand? Is your packaging sustainable? Are you empowering and sourcing from local farmers?
- Transparency: there is an ever-growing demand for transparency across the supply chain, everything from origin to easily recognisable ingredients in line with clean label trends. These aspects are increasingly needed to succeed in a competitive marketplace.
- Brand personality: I am looking for catchy food innovation that is communicated in an innovative way, that is engaging and that has a clear story behind it. Quirky advertising, original packaging, you name it, how are you engaging with the consumer from a more personal perspective?
Marc Matsumoto
Culinary Creator & Advisor, No Recipes
I’m honoured and excited to be joining my fellow panellists to help select the most innovative food products for 2021. Here’s the thought process that will help me make my selections:
- Freeway Billboard Test: In another lifetime, I was in marketing, and my boss would often subject my work to a “freeway billboard” test. Life today is saturated with brands vying for our attention, and if you can’t capture it while someone is driving by at 70 miles per hour, you’re not going to get very far.
- Brand Takes a Stand: Whether it’s sustainability, wellness, or equality, I appreciate a brand that hammers in a stake and stands behind their beliefs as a brand. Catchphrases are easy to pay lip service to, but how these beliefs are reflected in a brand’s products speaks volumes to their commitment to their ideals.
- Zero Waste: It’s estimated that a third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted each year. Products that curb some of this waste (or upcycle byproducts from food production) are a big win in my book. Disruptive Innovation: It’s easy and safe to iterate on existing trends by innovating incrementally, but the truly interesting products disrupt existing markets by creating a new paradigm. This isn’t something that comes around every year, but it’s something I’m always on the lookout for.
- Do I Want to Eat It?: At the end of the day, food is meant to be eaten and enjoyed, so I’ll be asking myself: “Is this sound like something I would want to eat?”
Suzanne van den Eshof
Global Marketing Director Food & Beverages, FrieslandCampina Ingredients
I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s World Food Innovation Awards judging panel and very excited to see what innovations the entrants have in store for us. Given my background in product design & development and my current role as marketing director in FMCG, I’ve always had a passion for innovation, truly believing in the philosophy that innovation is change that unlocks new value. I’ll be focusing on originality, sustainability, inclusivity and validation, among other things:
- Relevance: To what extent does the innovation showcase a match between consumer and market and does it address a consumer insight in an original and authentic way? Has there been consumer research to support and validate the innovation for instance?
- Sustainability: With more conscious consumers than ever, and the earth’s resources decreasing rapidly, it’s key for innovation to enable a positive impact on our planet– or at bare minimum, not a negative one.
- Inclusivity: Does the innovation show relevance for everyone or at least a large number of people. Myself being a lefty, I know the struggles of a design that makes people feel left out?
- Originality: How does the innovation distinguish itself from alternatives in the market and addresses the innovation a consumers insights in an original way? Does the innovation tickle the human senses in different ways and will it make people wonder why we never had this product in our lives before?
Silvia D’Alesio
Food Packaging Designer and Engineer
Changes due to the global pandemic also effect the daily life of consumers, including their shopping and eating food habits. In addition, our green need is rapidly increasing and digitalization represents an important part of our new common rituals. As a result the role of food production is getting more crucial year-on-year because its innovation constitutes a key driver to answer current consumer demands and offers better products within the FMCG market.
In my opinion, new food developers who successfully decide to enter the WFIA this exceptional year should show their product developed by criteria such as:
- Convenience: Convenient meal kits/starters and more sophisticated ingredients, which enrich the home cooking food experiences and offer at the same time accessible indulgence.
- Healthy: I am looking for food products that support consumer health, adding functional ingredients or reducing the amount of ‘bad’ ingredients.
- Pleasure: Independent food recipes can add value to the product in terms of staying local and discovering new places (like the next exocitism). Also, comfort foods which satisfy desire for fun and a variety of senses.
- Eco Packaging Designed: Eco labels are expected, which clearly show the intended use of both the product and the packaging itself. Green packaging material options as well as an inclusive approach for designing packaging features will be greatly valuable.
- Easy: As foodservice and retail domains increasingly overlap, consumers can consume products easy to be: bought, delivered /transported, and stored/preserved.
Think you’ve got an award-worthy food or beverage innovation? Enter your products into the World Food Innovation Awards 2021 now!
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