FoodBev Media, organiser of the World Food Innovation Awards, has announced the finalists of the 2022 competition. 

Winners in all 25 categories will be chosen during a special awards ceremony hosted in association with IFE, International Food & Drink Event on Monday 21 March, at 3.45pm on the Future Food Stage. 

FoodBev’s Awards Marketing Executive Sana Gogia said: “We are thrilled to announce this year’s finalists. Now in it’s eighth year, the competition is even closer as companies explore more daring flavour combinations, push the boundaries of packaging design and create innovative functional products.

“The World Food Innovation Awards represents a fantastic opportunity to share some of the most ambitious developments from the food industry and celebrate companies both small, medium and large. This year’s contenders are some of our strongest yet and we can’t wait to see who will be crowned the winners on March 21.”

IFE Event Director Philippa Christer added: "We're thrilled to once again be partnering with the World Food Innovation Awards and showcasing the finalists on Stand 4261 at this year's edition of the event. IFE has a long history of celebrating truly innovative products and this year's finalists are fantastic examples of the very best UK and international food & drink products."

Shortlist of finalists for each category

Best Artisan Product

• Cacao Barry – WholeFruit Chocolate Evocao
• Cheebab – Cheebab The Original
• Dina Foods – Handcrafted Artisan Baklawa
• Simply Ice Cream – Peanut Brittle Ice Cream

Best Brand Marketing

• Boxed Water Is Better – Boxed Water™
• Oumph! – Best Brand Marketing
• THIS™ – THIS™ Changes Everything
• Uncle Ernies Rum Punch

Best Brand/Brand Extension

• Encona – Hot Sauces
• Hunt and Brew – Single Origin Dairy milk through coffee company lens
• Kepak – Rustlers Cook in Box
• Saintly Beverage Co – Cocktail Inspired Saintly Hard Seltzer

Best Children’s Product

• Eat the Change – Cosmic Carrot Chews
• Little Dish – Fresh Food For Kids
• Hyproca Nutrition Co., Ltd. – Aunulife Ready-To-Eat Probiotics (Orange)
• Sprout Organic – Plant Based Infant Formula

Best Convenience Innovation

• Yili Group – Yili Muselibowl Milk Oats Cup
• Liberation Cocktails – Pisco Sour
• Rice In Action – Self Heating Rice Meal
• BettaF!sh – TU-NAH

Best Convenience Packaging

• Alzamora Group – Eco-Pastry Solutions
• Kepak – Rustlers Cook In Box
• Pure Blue of Norway – Pure Blue
• TIPA Corp – Home Compostable Fully Transparent Laminate

Best CSR/Sustainability Initiative

• Andre Farm – Crafter’s Juniper Cheese
• OCEANFRUIT
• Little Freddie – Organic Baby Food Climate Footprinting
• Talking Rain AQA – Waterboys
• The People’s Pantry

Best Drink Concept sponsored by Exberry

• I am Nutri – MILLET MALT THICK DRINK
• Boxed Water Is Better – Boxed Water™
• Good Rootz – SAPINCA
• Liberation Cocktails – On-Tap

Best Food Concept

• ALDI-exclusive Emporium Selection Cheese Fries
• All is Good – Healthy, Nutritious Food Processed Using the Mildtech Technology
• Fromages Spielhofer – Tête de Moine AOP with Fleurolle
• Frostkrone Food – Ready to Eat
• Grace Foods – Irie Eats

Best Foodservice Initiative

• Float Foods – OnlyEg Patties
• Quorn – (ChiQin)
• RISE Brewing Co – Original Black Cold Brew Coffee Multi-Serve
• Veganz Group – Foodservice

Best Functional Product

• Chic-kles Gum – Slim and Fit Probiotic Gum
• Float Foods – OnlyEg Yolk
• Phytaphix – COVMPAQ
• REBBL – Stacked Coffee
• The Naked Collective – Mude
• Zeno Functional Foods – SOBAR

Best Health or Wellness Drink

• I am Nutri – QUINOA MALT THICK DRINK
• Kabocha Milk Co – Kabochamilk
• Biotiful – Kefir Coconut
• Barry Callebaut – Elix
• The Naked Collective – Mude

Best Health or Wellness Food

• ALDI – exclusive L’oven Fresh Protein Bread
• Banza – Banza Supreme Pizza
• Float Foods – OnlyEg White
• Heura Foods – Heura Burger
• Chichio – Chichio Green Peeled Pistachio Butter

Best Healthy Snacking Innovation

• ALDI – exclusive Park Street Deli Cauliflower Dips
• Borna Foods Ltd – Fibre-Packed Vegan Trail Mixes
• Daily Crunch – Sprouted Almonds
• Dolfin (UK) Ltd – My Sweet Chickpea
• Frostkrone Food Group – Ready to Eat – Beetroot Snacks

Best Indulgence Product

• ALDI – exclusive liveGfree Gluten Free Holiday Donuts
• Borna Foods – Chocolate Spread
• TRIVIUM PACKAGING – Easy drinks
• TSC Food Products GmbH – Baileys Dessert

Best Ingredient Innovation

• Blue Sky Botanics – Baobab Fruit Purée
• Float Foods – OnlyEg Yolk
• Perfect Day – Animal-Free Milk Protein
• BettaF!sh – TU-NAH
• Xampla – Vitamin Microcapsules

Best Low-or-no Product

• Aric Air Sparkling Water – Fruit Sparkling Water
• Float Foods – OnlyEg Shreds
• KINO BIOTECH PTE LTD – KINOHIMITSU ESSENCE OF CHICKEN
• The Naked Collective – So.Beer

Best Natural Food or Organic Product

• OCEANFRUIT – Sea Salads
• Better Nature – Tempeh Mince
• Sozye – Noya Sauce
• Chichio – Chichio Green Peeled Pistachio Butter

Best New Business

• I am Nutri – WELLNESS BEVERAGES
• Good Rootz – SAPINCA
• Sozyë – Nish Noya Noyster
• Xampla

Best Packaging Design

• Ardagh Glass Packaging – NaturRein Fruit Jar
• Boxed Water Is Better® – Boxed Water™
• Elopak – Pure-Pak® eSense Aseptic carton
• La Vie – Lardons Vegetaux
• PakTech – PakTech handles
• Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co Ltd – Satine organic pure milk biodiversity protection limited edition

Best Plant-based Beverage

• Kabocha Milk Co. – Kabochamilk
• Biotiful – Plant Based Oat Kefir Mango
• Hope and Sesame – Unsweetened Vanilla Chilled Sesamemilk
• REBBL – POP
• REBBL – Stacked Coffee

Best Plant-based Food Product

• Better Nature – Smoky Tempeh Rashers
• Beyond Meat – Beyond Burger®
• DSM Food & Beverage – Maxavor® Fish YE
• Heura Foods – Mediterranean Chunks
• La Vie – Vegan Bacon
• Les Nouveaux Affineurs – L’Affiné d’Albert
• LoveRaw – M:lk Choc Cre&m Wafer
• The Plant Based Seafood Co. – Mind Blown Dusted Scallops
• THIS™ – THISIsn’t Pork Sausages

Best Snacking Innovation

• Oumph! – Oumph! Crispy Buffalo Bites
• Frostkrone Food Group – Ready to Eat – Curry Mango Snacks
• GURME212 – Sun Dried Tomato Marinated Cauliflower Crisps
• Mitsuba Seaweed Crisps
• Superfoodio Limited – Peanut Butter Buttons
• Tarwi Foods – Lummus

Best Special-edition Product

• ALDI – exclusive Burman’s Dipping Sauces
• ALDI – exclusive Emporium Selection Holiday Goat Logs
• Brownes Dairy – Seriously Novelty Favoured Milks
• Yili Group – Satine Fresh Milk

Best Technology Innovation

• Bespoken Spirits – Rye Whiskey
• Rice In Action – Rice Encapsulation
• TCI Co. Ltd. – SCIENCE OF PROBIOTICS
• THIS™ – FAT 2.0™
• Xampla – Edible Films