2017 NZ Food Award Categories and Criteria
The New Zealand Food Awards showcase the innovation and creativity of
our high quality food products and businesses, our people and aspiration
for excellence.
The award categories reflect New Zealand’s ever changing food industry, and meets the
demand of our food manufacturers, both large and small.
SMALL MANUFACTURER AWARDS
These award categories are open to all small New Zealand food manufacturers employing up
to 20 FTE staff members with an annual turnover of $3million or less.
Food, beverage and ingredient products can be entered into either or both of the following
award categories. Products are also eligible for any of the Special Awards.
Please refer to entry terms and conditions for further details.
Award Categories
Artisan Emerging Food Producer Award
This will judged by Review Publishing. All entrants will be included in the Supermarket News,
Restaurant and Café magazines, the finalists will be included in an editorial feature in these
magazines as well as promotion via social media and e-newsletters. The winner will receive
$10,000 advertising packaging plus editorial in the above magazines, one day’s production
to the value of $3500 at The FoodBowl plus promotion via social media and e-newsletters.
Awards Criteria
The Artisan Award will be judged by industry experts from The FoodBowl, Supermarket
News and Restaurant and Café magazines
The judges will assign a score out of 10 for each of 10 criteria – total possible score 100.
The criteria are:
1. Taste and Visual Appeal (sensory appeal, attractiveness, presentation)
2. Nutritional value (health benefits)
3. Degree of innovation (break through idea, fresh concept, artisanal)
4. Effectiveness (fulfillment of purpose)
5. Practicality and Functionality (usability, performance under real conditions)
6. Commercial success (performance in the market place)
7. Value (what is value to the user)
8. Relevance and satisfaction (need for the product, customer satisfaction surveys)
9. Shelf-life and storage (improvement on shelf-life, easier to store)
10. Distribution and availability (distribution channels used, market extension
possibilities)
Gourmet Product Award
This award is open to any product or high quality ingredient specifically designed and
developed for the exclusive, sophisticated, high-added-value segment of the retail food
market.
Awards Criteria
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The Gourmet award category will be judged on two components:
1. Technical excellence – including innovation, technical competence, manufacturing
capability, sales performance. This will be judged by food technologists working in
the food industry.
2. Consumer appeal – of both product and package including sensory quality and
aesthetic appeal. This will be judged by food critics, chefs and food writers.
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LARGE MANUFACTURER AWARDS
These award categories are open to all large New Zealand food manufacturers employing
more than 20 FTE staff members with an annual turnover greater than $3million.
Food, beverage and ingredient products can be entered into any of the following award
categories.
Please refer to entry terms and conditions for further details.
Award Categories
Alcoholic Beverages
Any liquid beverage containing alcohol designed for consumption directly. Beverages can
include ready-to-drink, mixers or concentrates.
Non Alcoholic Beverages
Any non-alcoholic liquid beverage designed for consumption directly. Beverages can include
ready-to-drink, mixers or concentrates.
Dry Goods (Sweet and Savoury)
Any product that is able to be stored at ambient temperatures for the period of its shelf-life.
Entries into this category can include ingredients, partially prepared and ready to eat foods.
Chilled Foods (including Dairy)
Any food product or ingredient that has been designed primarily for immediate
consumption. Entries in this category would traditionally have short shelf-life and be stored
in chilled conditions. The products can be with or without branded packaging.
Frozen (Sweet and Savoury)
Any food product or ingredient that requires frozen storage to maintain product quality and
shelf-life.
Awards Criteria
These award categories will be judged by a panel of consumers of relevant target markets,
along with a number of food and technical judges, based on the following criteria:
 Sensory experience: taste, texture, quality
 Packaging: functionality, graphics, ease of use, tamper evidence, protective
properties, consumer information, recyclability
 Innovation: uniqueness of product, meets a need, incorporates new technology,
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ingredients etc
Manufacturing capability: ability to scale up, sustainability, ease of distribution
Food Safety: degree of risk, shelf-life, RMP registration, barrier protection
R & D: PD process, team work, financial benefits, managed risk, market research
AWARDS OPEN TO ALL (SPECIAL AWARDS)
These award categories are open to all small and large food manufacturers, including the
following:
 Primary food producers
 Food service providers
 Ingredient supply companies
Please refer to entry terms and conditions for further details. All entrants in the following
categories will also be asked to complete additional questions as part of the entry process for
these special awards.
Award Categories
Massey University Health and Wellness Award
Any product designed to meet specific nutritional needs e.g. allergen free, low GI, gluten
free, and any with major reductions in fat, carbohydrate sodium etc. Entrants will need to
demonstrate how the product meets a specific dietary need. A nutritionist, based on the
product information supplied, will judge products in this category.
Best Novel Food or Beverage Award (in association with The Foodbowl)
This award is open to all food and beverage growers and manufacturers who have best
demonstrated the use of technology, functionality and innovation, new to them, to develop
a profitable new ingredient product.
Finished products can be blended using imported ingredients but the end product must have
been developed and manufactured in New Zealand.
The winner of this category will be awarded a prize package entitling them to use the
facilities at The Foodbowl to the value of $10,000 – terms and conditions apply.
Entrants will be judged using the following criteria:
 Best use of innovation and technology new to them
 Functionality of the product
 The innovation of the end product
MPI Food Safety Culture Award
This award is open to all food and beverage companies that can demonstrate they have a
strong food safety culture throughout all aspects of their operations, and up and down their
supply chains.
The judges will be looking for innovative approaches taken to introduce, change or sustain a
food safety culture. Also how the business knows they have a food safety culture that is
working, is integrated into all aspects of their business and is being sustained over time.
Entrants for this award will be able to demonstrate through management, staff and supplier
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behaviour that not only do all aspects of their business have a commitment to food safety,
but they consistently demonstrate that commitment in what they do every day.
MPI Primary Sector Products Award
This award is open to all Primary Sector food and beverage producers, researchers and
manufacturers who add value to primary products through the introduction of new
varieties, cultivars or breeds; or through new or alternative harvesting, processing or
packaging to extract or create new or innovative primary sector products.
Entrants will be judged from the following criteria:
 Identification and development of the need or opportunity for the product
 Evidence of product originality and differentiation from other products on the
market
 Evidence of the appeal of the product in the New Zealand or an export market
 Evidence of product development process (from concept to market)
 Examples of product or customer research
 Strategies in the development of the market for the product
 Initiatives used to address the challenges faced
 Introduction or use of new or alternative technology
 Product and / or packaging attributes
Entries are welcome for fresh or processed produce or products that are marketed in New
Zealand or overseas and derived from any of the various primary sectors, including meat,
dairy, seafood, apiary, or horticulture.
NZTE Export Innovation Award
Entrants will be judged using the following criteria:
 Identification and development of the export market(s) opportunity/ies
 Quality and relevance of marketing factors used
 Appropriateness of the product development process
 Use of appropriate technological skills / processes
 Incorporation of appropriate attributes specific for the identified market
 Level of innovation
 Packaging design (technical and graphical)
 Product attributes (eg. eating quality).
James & Wells Business Innovation Award
Entrants will be judged using the following criteria:
 Example of collaboration with customers to build a strategy for the category in
which you are a supplier
 Examples of particular consumer insights that drove and influenced product design
and routes to market
 Successful business initiative/s your company has introduced in the last 12 months,
such as a new product, market or system innovation
 Strategies of efficiencies in the supply chain, including manufacturing, operations,
logistics and service levels
 Initiatives in quality assurance that have improved customer satisfaction levels
 Initiatives you have introduced to improve the working and wider environment
 Examples of capital expenditure, that have benefited your output in terms of yield
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improvements, waste reduction, process control improvements, energy costs per
unit produced and unit conversion costs
 Initiatives to improve the skills base of your staff, attract the best people and retain
those people to improve the overall quality and morale of your workforce.
Massey University Supreme Award
The judging panel for this award will consider only Large Food Manufacturers and Special
Award category winners.
The selected products will be judged using the following criteria:
 Level of innovation and creativity
 Quality and relevance of marketing
 Commercial robustness and success
 Appropriateness of the product development process
 Use of processing technology skills
 Incorporation of nutritional and health attributes
 Packaging design, including technical information and graphic design
 General product attributes e.g. Taste, quality etc.
ENDS
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