Fi Europe’s organisers extend their congratulations to the winners of the exhibition’s annual Innovation Awards, announced recently at a glittering celebration marking its 30th edition. From dairy alternatives to plant-based breakthroughs and food technology innovations, the awards and their recipients reflect the depth and breadth of the innovations on offer across today’s food and beverage landscape.
The judges’ chosen winners are:
- Dairy Alternative Innovation Award: Time Travelling Milkman (Oleocream™)
- Food Manufacturing Innovation Award: Tetra Pak® (Air Jet Cleaning System for powder handling equipment)
- Future Foodtech Innovation Award: AKA Food (Intelligence Platform for Application Development)
- Health Innovation Award: ADM (Lactobacillus Gasseri CP2305 for mental health)
- Plant-based Innovation Award: ICL Food Specialties (ROVITARIS® SprouTx™: A revolutionary textured soy protein)
- Sustainability Innovation Award: ofi (Driving industry impact through Cocoa Compass)
Prof. Colin Dennis of the International Food Information Service, who chaired the Awards, commented: “The panel was extremely impressed by the quality and diversity of innovation seen in this year’s submissions. Fi Europe has always been a hub of progressive thinking and ambition, but the quality this year exceeded all our expectations. It’s wonderful to see so many businesses ploughing so much time and effort into making the changes today that the industry needs tomorrow.”
Competition was tighter than ever following a record number of applications fuelled by Fi Europe’s new ‘easy entry’ submission forms. With six categories strategically designed to address key themes in the food and beverage sector, the Innovation Awards recognise the stand-out ingredients and achievements made within the previous two years.
“Our annual celebration of ingenuity and excellence is always a highlight, but this edition of our Innovation Awards feels particularly special with it being part of our 30th Fi Europe,” notes Yannick Verry, Brand Director, Fi Europe. “The awards provide a great opportunity to look both backwards and forwards: to the past achievements that have brought us where we are today and to the policies, products and people the sector will call on tomorrow for inspiration. When the first meat alternatives appeared on the show floor, no one could have predicted they would develop into the global plant-based phenomenon – but Fi Europe was among the first places to spotlight them. That’s the power of being the home of food ingredients – wherever the trends take us, we will be here to unite them with decision makers all under one roof.”
The 2025 judging panel, comprised of eleven esteemed industry professionals from around the world, was tasked with evaluating 177 total entries under Prof. Dennis’s guidance. Representing leading organisations such as Campden BRI, EAS Strategies and Giract, each of these experts was handpicked for their knowledge, credentials and ability to discern, with objectivity and enthusiasm, passing fads from revolutionary advancements.
