The brightest food and beverage innovators have been honored at Gulfood 2022, the world’s largest annual F&B sourcing event, for pushing the boundaries with breakthrough solutions to change the sector for the better.

This year’s edition, Gulfood’s 27th, has welcomed over 300 exhibitors from 39 countries who are eager to demonstrate solutions to answer sector challenges and set new benchmarks for an industry amid rapid transformation.

“The sheer volume of entries this year underlines Gulfood’s status as the premier platform for bold industry players to unveil what they have been working on and use it as a springboard to demonstrate how they are rising to the challenge of driving the industry forward,” said Mark Napier, show director of Gulfood. “The competition produced some of the most innovative submissions we have seen, and it was no easy task for the judges to select the winners. The level of innovation shows the F&B industry is in safe hands with so many companies sharing our goal to create and change the sector for the better,” he added.

The Gulfood Innovation Awards 2022 were assessed by a panel of industry veterans: Lianne Walsh, founder of Palm PR; Jane Barraclough, founder of Yalla Magazine; F&B journalist and consultant Claudia De Britto; Abu Dhabi chef Faisal Naser, founder of Lento; and Vineetha Sony, head of trade advisory services, OCO Global.

The panel identified winning innovations in eight categories: Most Innovative Beverage; Most Innovative Dairy Product; Most Innovative Frozen or Chilled Food; Most Innovative Halal Product; Most Innovative Organic Product; Most Innovative Health, Wellness & Plant-Based Product; Best Packaging Design Impact; and Most Impactful Sustainable Product.

The Best Packaging Design Impact award was handed to Tertulia Brugge S.A. for its San Marcos and San Ramon single-serve drip coffee, which is housed in a compostable envelope and recyclable box. Meanwhile, homegrown UAE food and agri-business company Olam International Limited scooped the prize for the ‘Most Impactful Sustainable Product’ for its lightly salted almonds in composite canister packaging.

Spinosi, the artisan homemade pasta producer from Italy, was recognized for its Fettuccine Zero+ product made from red lentil flour, which was named Most Innovative Health, Wellness & Plant-Based Product. Aimed at athletes and sports enthusiasts, the pasta has a place on the plate of health-conscious consumers thanks to its high protein and fiber content.

Latvia’s King Coffee Service Ltd was crowned winner in the Most Innovative Beverage category for its Rocket Bean Roastery/Rudy’s Kombucha – a 100 percent keto, 99 percent coffee cold-brewed Kombucha. With zero alcohol, the coffee is also 100 percent halal.

French innovation came to the fore in the Most Innovative Frozen or Chilled Product category, with KOKIRIKI recognized for its Vegan-Toona, a 100 percent vegan tuna with all the flavor and fibrous aspects of fresh seafood.

The NZMP Organic Butter Carbonzero™ from Fonterra was named the Most Innovative Dairy Product, underscoring the New Zealand brand’s pioneering F&B efforts. The award for the Most Innovative Organic Product, meanwhile, was scooped up by the International Trade Centre for its Watermelon seed oil in capsules.

Portugal’s Carob World Portugal, LDA, which champions carob-based products, was honored with the Most Innovative Halal Product award for its Carob Syrup BIO, an iron, calcium, and potassium rich ingredient.