CHICAGO — First came the Kitchen Innovation awards and now the National Restaurant Association has announced the recipients of its inaugural Food & Beverage Product Innovation Awards as part of the build up to the 2011 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show being held at Chicago’s McCormick Place from May 21 to 24.
“Our independent panel of judges, who represent a broad variety of commercial and non-commercial industry segments, selected these 13 products based on the forward-thinking approach to food and beverages demonstrated by their creators,” said C.W. Craig Reed, convention chair for NRA Show 2011 and director of Food and Beverage, The Broadmoor. “These truly innovative products will help drive customer satisfaction and profitability for restaurant and foodservice operators nationwide.”
The list of award winners includes ConAgra Foodservice’s environmentally improved Pam Cooking Sprays and its low sodium Max Fit for Kids Plus Whole Grain Stuffed Crust Pizza. Also on the list, was Epicurean Butter’s chef-created Spreadable Roasted Garlic Herb Butter, Heinz’s supersized Ketchup package dubbed Dip & Squeeze and Food Market Merchandising’s Got milk? Magic Milk Straws, an all-natural, gluten-free, allergen-free and preservative-free snack.
The winning products will be showcased in the F&B Product Innovations Gallery at the NRA Show and the awards will be presented in the World Culinary Showcase May 21.
For more information, and the complete list of winning products, click here.
