An organic ready meal is one of a dozen products going forward to the finals of the prestigious Sial d’Or. Liz Hamson reports
A UK-made organic ready meal has been voted among the top new food and drink products in the world in a prestigious international competition. Duchy Originals Beef and Ale Casserole was one of the winners at last month’s Sial d’Or competition in Paris, scooping the top prize in the category for organic products.
The judges were looking for products at the cutting edge of new product development and after an exhausting two-day judging session in which more than 300 new products from 27 countries around the world were pitted against each other, they picked 12 worthy category winners.
Pictured right are the eight that caused the biggest buzz, the products that today are beginning to build national followings and tomorrow could well become global success stories.
Take Duchy Originals Beef and Ale Casserole. This product from the Prince of Wales’ company was in a league of its own in a category that has yet to take off in many parts of the world. Only launched this April, it impressed judges for its innovation - it is the first organic British ready meal to be cooked in organic ale - the quality and provenance of its ingredients and its clean sophisticated packaging. It was also deemed to have the greatest chance of commercial success having already secured listings in more than 270 Sainsbury stores.
Almost all the winning products could lay claim to being innovative but some really stood out. Coolish, a drinkable ice cream from Japan, was one.
Neither milkshake nor smoothie, the ice cream drink is designed to be served at minus eight degrees centigrade, and is sold in an innovative soft pouch designed to prevent the spillages caused by melting ice cream. Reputedly the “coldest drinkable food product”, it was launched in Tokyo last June and within three weeks had become a top seller.
If it wasn’t the sheer novelty factor that swayed the judges it was a product’s alleged health benefits. A whole raft of winners, including Tegel Foods’ Chicken Bacon Rashers from New Zealand, Morcilla low fat blood sausage from Spain and and Voortman Cookies zero trans fat cookies and wafers from Canada, had been developed specifically in response to the rising demand globally for healthier foods.
The latter, which won the snack and confectionery, was described as the first biscuit product in the world to contain absolutely no trans fats and will be of particular interest to the multi-nationals under pressure to reduce trans-fats in leading snack and confectionery brands - without compromising on flavour.
Another product range that will undoubtedly catch their eyes is Veg’s Apple, Mix and Onion & Chips vegetable snack range from Spain’s Grupo Siro, which won the grocery category. The snacks are fried at a lower than usual temperature to preserve taste and colour in a process that involves absolutely no chemical substances.
One winning product that scored highly among the judges - though definitely not for its health attributes - was 42 Below’s Manuka Honey Vodka from New Zealand. Under development for over a year it is believed to be the only honey based vodka in the world and, according to the information supplied, boasts an “oak-like” rather than sweet flavour.
In the end, there was a clear preference for products from small to medium sized companies rather than big multinationals.
New Zealand bagged three prizes, also winning for its Greenshell Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Sauce (Sealord New Zealand) in the seafood category. Japan and Spain took two apiece, Japan for Coolish in the dairy category and Healthya Green tea in the non-alcoholic beverages category, and Spain for the vegetable snacks in the grocery category and low fat blood sausage in the regional products category. The UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal and Norway each scooped one prize, Australia for its ready meal entry, Portugal for its fruit and vegetable entry and Norway for its catering entry.
An overall winner, chosen from the 12 category winners, will be announced during a special awards ceremony at this year’s Sial exhibition in Paris, which takes place from October 17-21.
A UK-made organic ready meal has been voted among the top new food and drink products in the world in a prestigious international competition. Duchy Originals Beef and Ale Casserole was one of the winners at last month’s Sial d’Or competition in Paris, scooping the top prize in the category for organic products.
The judges were looking for products at the cutting edge of new product development and after an exhausting two-day judging session in which more than 300 new products from 27 countries around the world were pitted against each other, they picked 12 worthy category winners.
Pictured right are the eight that caused the biggest buzz, the products that today are beginning to build national followings and tomorrow could well become global success stories.
Take Duchy Originals Beef and Ale Casserole. This product from the Prince of Wales’ company was in a league of its own in a category that has yet to take off in many parts of the world. Only launched this April, it impressed judges for its innovation - it is the first organic British ready meal to be cooked in organic ale - the quality and provenance of its ingredients and its clean sophisticated packaging. It was also deemed to have the greatest chance of commercial success having already secured listings in more than 270 Sainsbury stores.
Almost all the winning products could lay claim to being innovative but some really stood out. Coolish, a drinkable ice cream from Japan, was one.
Neither milkshake nor smoothie, the ice cream drink is designed to be served at minus eight degrees centigrade, and is sold in an innovative soft pouch designed to prevent the spillages caused by melting ice cream. Reputedly the “coldest drinkable food product”, it was launched in Tokyo last June and within three weeks had become a top seller.
If it wasn’t the sheer novelty factor that swayed the judges it was a product’s alleged health benefits. A whole raft of winners, including Tegel Foods’ Chicken Bacon Rashers from New Zealand, Morcilla low fat blood sausage from Spain and and Voortman Cookies zero trans fat cookies and wafers from Canada, had been developed specifically in response to the rising demand globally for healthier foods.
The latter, which won the snack and confectionery, was described as the first biscuit product in the world to contain absolutely no trans fats and will be of particular interest to the multi-nationals under pressure to reduce trans-fats in leading snack and confectionery brands - without compromising on flavour.
Another product range that will undoubtedly catch their eyes is Veg’s Apple, Mix and Onion & Chips vegetable snack range from Spain’s Grupo Siro, which won the grocery category. The snacks are fried at a lower than usual temperature to preserve taste and colour in a process that involves absolutely no chemical substances.
One winning product that scored highly among the judges - though definitely not for its health attributes - was 42 Below’s Manuka Honey Vodka from New Zealand. Under development for over a year it is believed to be the only honey based vodka in the world and, according to the information supplied, boasts an “oak-like” rather than sweet flavour.
In the end, there was a clear preference for products from small to medium sized companies rather than big multinationals.
New Zealand bagged three prizes, also winning for its Greenshell Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Sauce (Sealord New Zealand) in the seafood category. Japan and Spain took two apiece, Japan for Coolish in the dairy category and Healthya Green tea in the non-alcoholic beverages category, and Spain for the vegetable snacks in the grocery category and low fat blood sausage in the regional products category. The UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal and Norway each scooped one prize, Australia for its ready meal entry, Portugal for its fruit and vegetable entry and Norway for its catering entry.
An overall winner, chosen from the 12 category winners, will be announced during a special awards ceremony at this year’s Sial exhibition in Paris, which takes place from October 17-21.
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