Organizers for ISM have identified the Most Innovative Products in the 2022 New Product Showcase.

Comprising 45 display windows and over 50 products from more than 30 exhibitors, the New Product Showcase offers an overview of products that have been developed since February 2021.

As was the case last year, the top innovations were selected by an independent jury of experts from the industry, trade and field of science.

The top 3 of ISM 2022:

1. Confiserie Vandenbulcke with "Cabosse" from Belgium

2. Mitsuba with "Mitsuba Seaweed Crisps" from the Netherlands

3. Arna Falco with "Toffee Noir" from Spain

Confiserie Vandenbulcke from Belgium achieved first place in this year's New Product Showcase Award. The jury was impressed by how holistically the whole cocoa fruit was brought to life in a praline. According to the jury, the Belgian chocolatiers succeeded in capturing the taste essence of a cocoa pod with all its nuances in a fruity, chocolatey way in the Cabosse filling, thus creating a new taste experience for pralines. By using the whole fruit organically, not only is there less waste, but the nutrients and minerals are also preserved, giving Cabosse its unique taste.  

The snack specialists from Mitsuba have combined seaweed with sea salt, paprika or wasabi in its Seaweed Crisps, without the use of palm oil and other flavor enhancers. The jury awarded it second place.

Arna Falco has developed soft toffee with a deep chocolate note. Rolled in tender cocoa powder, is not only an experience for chocolate and toffee lovers, but also a great vegan alternative made from tiger nut milk. The jury awarded it third place.

This year's other nominees included: 

• Alpha Republic Ltd
• Chickles Gum
• Domenico De Lucia spa
• Libeert SA 

Due to cancellations caused by the pandemic, the field of participants in the packaging category was not sufficiently representative to present the ISM Packaging Award, powered by ProSweets Cologne. The jury decided to honor the following exhibiting companies as finalists of the ISM Packaging Award in the form of a certificate:

• bscg-group
• Chocal Packaging Solutions GmbH
• Energy Bullets

The award ceremony and announcement of the winners took place in Cologne during the ISM Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 30. As the first Italian sweet entrepreneur ever, Luigi Zàini was also distinguished with the ISM Award for rendering exceptional services to the industry.