The Food Magazine awards will return in 2013 and with entries closing on 24 April, now's your chance to have your product recognised by industry peers!
In this preview of the annual awards, we're looking at two categories: Snack Foods and Ready Meals.
The entry process for these categories is simple; all you need to do is submit details of your company and the product (name, website, address etc) as well as information on how the product is processed, its significance in the market, any details on export opportunities and what measures were taken to ensure food safety.
Images also need to be provided upon submission.
Criteria for these categories are:
Ready Meals
Meals that are ready to go, and do not require any additional ingredients. Ready meals include all the elements of a meal and require one or less steps for preparation. Products that can be entered into this category include microwavable dinners, pies and lasagnas.
Snack Foods
Snack Foods are foods which do not constitute an entire meal, and are eaten between main meals. They can be sweet or savoury but do not include many ingredients. Products that can be entered into this category include potato chips, cookies, nuts and dried fruits.
In last year's Food Magazine awards, the Snack Foods crown went to Morlife for its Dark Chocolate Coated Roasted Coffee Beans.
About the winner
Morlife aims to be a leader in the rapidly changing and developing industry of functional foods which are foods that provide a health benefit beyond ‘normal nutrition’.
“Functional foods must enhance health and well-being such as assisting in weight-loss, reduction of risk of disease, enhanced performance, physical athletic performance or memory/cognitive functions or help manage a chronic condition such as heart disease and diabetes,” Morlife explained.
Morlife is tapping into a broad market of people who are increasingly aware of nutrition and who seek to gain not only a great tasting product but one that offers a benefit in some way.
Morlife’s new dark chocolate coated roast coffee beans product aims to stand apart from other foods in the snack food market due to their high antioxidant levels. They are also free from gluten, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and colours.
The packaging has also been a key aspect of attracting customers to the product with foil pouches that have a large surface area on the front to take up supermarket shelf space as well as images and information which reflect the health benefits.
Morlife has engaged in an extensive marketing campaign in order to increase export opportunities and have launched a website that is solely for the purpose on focussing on export trade … So far this targeted plan has elicited interest from countries in the Middle East and South East Asia with China ordering 49,600 pieces, which has a potential to create an extra $1 million per annum.
The 2012 Ready Meals award went to Creative Foods Solutions for its Emily's Kitchen Range, which features high quality meals produced by experienced chefs.
About the winner
Emily's Kitchen Range flavours include twice-cooked pork with beetroot relish, parsnip mash and cracked pepper jus; Portuguese chicken with white bean ragout; and saffron rice and Atlantic salmon with steamed jasmine rice & dill cream sauce.
The meals were launched nationwide in March 2012 and are currently in over 750 Woolworths stores.
The range is produced by hand, using meats supplied by Andrews Meats Industries and fresh vegetables, some of which are grown by the company. The packaging used allows the consumer to heat the meal to restaurant quality within a few minutes.
Peter Cox from Andrews Meats who worked with Creative Food Solutions said that producing a quality product requires not only the best tasting ingredients but it also needs to meet safety standards.
“A lot of development has gone into the actual process as far as keeping the quality of the food at the level that we expect it to be at and also maintaining a food safe product.”
Although the meals all have a shelf life of 28 days they are made without the use of preservatives which is done by using a tray sealing machine which is new to Australia and enables the long shelf life.
When asked what the biggest achievement of the range is, Ian Hill of Andrews Meats said that it is the ease and satisfaction in the product that the customer experiences.
“I’d probably say producing a meal that anyone in the street can go and buy- microwave in three and a half minutes and hopefully get a ready restaurant type meal for minimal work, maximum flavour at a reasonable price.”
2013 – is this your year?
This year's awards will be presented at Sydney's Luna Park on 26 July, and will be a great opportunity for all finalists to not only have their product(s) on display, but also network with other industry members. Finalists will also receive coverage in Food magazine and on its website, including its twice weekly e-newsletters.
For information and entry details, click here.
The 2013 Food Magazine Awards are proudly brought to you by Platinum sponsor Heat and Control. Other sponsors include Flavour Makers, Janbak, HACCP Australia, Kerry Ingredients, Newly Weds Foods, Tronics, APPMA, Earlee Products and Kurz.
"For us, it's about owning that premium brand and offering a point of difference. There are a lot of people that think private labels are evil and terrible, but if I was in their shoes I'd be promoting them as well. There is absolutely still room for brands. People don't buy private label products to feel warm and fuzzy and to feel that they've got the depth and integrity that a brand they love gives them," she says.