The awards are given to companies that have recently launched products recognized for their health and eco-friendliness and for pushing new consumer trends, convenience and all-natural innovation. The finalists will be featured as a main attraction at SIAL Canada, with the grand prize winner announced on April 21.
The winner will be determined by hotel and restaurant management students from Institut du Tourisme et de l’Hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), with the winning product showcased at SIAL Paris in October 2010.
“There was an impressive response from exhibitors submitting novel and revolutionary ideas,” said Xavier Terlet, jury chairman, Trends & Innovations Awards, in a press release. “Competition winners were recognized for their attention to important consumer trends, notably health, convenience and an overall all-natural approach. Once again small companies set themselves apart with bold innovations that combined pleasure with fine dining while remaining ultramodern and tailored to current consumer behaviour.”
This year’s 10 finalists, as listed below, were selected from more than 50 entrants from around the world in the following categories:
Innovation:
* Citadelle Maple Syrup Producer’s Cooperative for its Ginger Maple Butter
* Monsieur Basilic for its Basil Ice Cream
Traceability:
* Nutrinor Coopérative Agro-alimentaire du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean for Complait, a unique traceability function to help consumers discover where milk originated from in Quebec
Handling and New Needs:
* Aust & Hachmann Canada Ltd. for its Vanilla Caviar, a Madagascar vanilla without bean extraction
* Mets Petits Choux for Evolulu, a line of microwave dishes that offer recipes with textures tailored for 10-month-old infants
Timesaver:
* Industrie Gastronomique Cascajares for prepared and pre-seasoned Confit Pork Cheek
* Vegpro International Inc. for Fresh Attitude ready-to-eat salad
Natural and Risk Free:
* Les Gaspésiennes for Algues Kombu Royal, a natural algae product
* Solo Fruit Inc. for 100-per-cent fruit sorbets
Ethical Attitude:
* Coopérative Forestière Girardville for D’Origina flavours and aromas from Québec’s boreal forest
More than 530 exhibitors from 30 countries and 12,000 agrifood professionals from 60 countries are expected to attend SIAL Canada 2010. For more info, click here.
