What does high-protein bread have in common with boba tea? Or what would you think of a breakfast of plant-based bacon and plant-based eggs? Tastes, trends, and teamwork helped seven new products earn top honors in Prepared Foods’ 21st annual Spirit of Innovation (SOI) awards competition this summer. 

Since 2003, these distinctive awards have honored entrepreneurs and food and beverage formulators for excellence in new product development. This year’s program considered as many as 180 items introduced from January 2022 through March 2023. A panel of nine judges then evaluated nearly 40 items for overall innovation, a R&D team’s problem-solution story, and sensory performance (including taste, appearance, texture, smell, etc.). 

Products were considered in each of five categories, including Retail Food, Retail Beverage, Foodservice Front of House (addressing consumer trends), Foodservice Back of House (addressing operator needs) and Alternative Channel (products for in-store deli and convenience store).

This year’s honorees, by award category, include …

• *RETAIL FOOD: Thrilling Foods’ Plant-Based BAKON
• *RETAIL FOOD: Soley Inc.’s Organic Green Banana Fusilli Pasta
• RETAIL BEVERAGE: BOBABAM At-Home Boba Kit (Milk Tea flavor)
• FOODSERVICE / FRONT OF HOUSE: Equii High Protein Bread
• FOODSERVICE / BACK OF HOUSE: General Mills Foodservice Freezer-to-Oven Chocolate Croissants
• ALTERNATE CHANNEL (IN-STORE/C-STORE): Veggies Made Great Spinach & Egg Frittata
• JUDGES’ SELECTION / MOST INNOVATIVE: Yo Egg Plant-Based Sunny-Side Up Egg

*Tied for award

“Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation awards are quite unique,” notes Bob Garrison, Prepared Foods editor-in-chief. “We recognize sales and sensory benchmarks but also value each company’s behind-the-scenes stories—where they identified market gaps and overcame R&D challenges. Meanwhile, this year’s winners exemplify today’s trends—including attributes of plant-based and clean label formulation, added nutrition, and convenience.” 

“The Spirit of Innovation entries continue to amaze us. Each year we see significant advances in innovation, creativity, and certainly taste,” adds Mike Leonard, Prepared Foods publisher. “More impressive is the mix of companies bringing these attributes to their new products. Our market is dynamic as ever!”

Prepared Foods Spirit of Innovation Awards Experience

Prepared Foods and SOI sponsors will host a one-hour Spirit of Innovation Awards Program and Integrated Innovation Experience on Oct 12 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. EDT. It will include an opening State of Food & Beverage Innovation Panel as well as “Direct from Us” Videos from Winning R&D Teams. This unique video platform lets actual R&D team leaders and members directly share their strategies and problem-solution stories.

Spirit of Innovation Award sponsors include Cargill Incorporated. Prepared Foods also worked with operational partner Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations, Chicago, a third-party food and beverage product development firm. 

Fast Facts: Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation Awards

Prepared Foods received more than 180 initial submissions and companies were asked to support nominations with product and innovation details. BNP Media food and beverage editors used that information to identify approximately 40 new products, which advanced through two rounds of preparation and tasting in late June and late July at Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations, Chicago.

A panel of nine industry judges evaluated each product against a five-point scale in three categories: overall innovation, the team’s problem-solution story and sensory performance (including taste, appearance, texture, smell, etc.)

Finalist judges included:

• Melanie Bartelme, global food analyst, Mintel
• Nicole Wollack, sensory and consumer insights manager, Imbibe
• Jenni Spinner, chief editor, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery
• Charlie Baggs, founder, Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations
• Jenn Farrell, director of R&D, Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations
• Carter Richards, senior product development chef, Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations
• Mike Leonard, publisher, Prepared Foods
• Nick Roskelly, exec editor-new media, Prepared Foods
• Bob Garrison, chief editor, Prepared Foods 

The annual competition is open to all prepared foods and beverages developed for retail-grocery sales, commercial and non-commercial foodservice operations, as well as alternative channel outlets such as in-store deli-bakeries and convenience stores.

To learn more about Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation Awards and past winners, visit here and here.