It’s official. Today’s consumers are truly living—and eating—in an alternative dimension! Plant-based meat and dairy alternatives took three of six top honors in Prepared Foods’ 20th annual Spirit of Innovation (SOI) awards competition this spring.

Since 2003, the distinctive awards honor food and beverage product development teams for excellence in consumer insights, cross-functional product development execution and overall innovation. This year brought more than 120 submissions and after two judged panel tastings, experts selected six items according to a 10-point scale for overall innovation, the team’s problem-solution story and sensory performance (including taste, appearance, texture, smell, etc.) This year’s awards consider items introduced across all channels from January 2021 through March 2022.

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

… Simple Mills Sweet Thins / Best New Retail Food

… Silk Nextmilk / Best New Retail Beverage

… Happy Little Plants Meatballs / Best New Foodservice Product / Front of House

… MorningStar Farms Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders / Best New Foodservice Product / Back of House 

… US Foods’ Hilltop Hearth Pub Grain Hamburger Bun / Winner – Judges’ Selection

… Applegate Naturals Do Good Dog / Winner - Judges’ Selection

Want to Watch? This Year’s Complete Spirit of Innovation Awards! 

Click here and register FREE to see this year’s Spirit of Innovation Awards ceremony and exclusive “state of innovation” panel discussion.

“Prepared Foods exists to inform and support those food and beverage manufacturer professionals who influence new product development. We’re celebrating 20 years of the ‘Spirit of Innovation’ and recognizing R&D teams for their behind-the-scenes achievement,” says Bob Garrison, Prepared Foods Editor-in-Chief. “In addition to advances in plant-based protein technology, flavoring and texture, this year finds us showcasing new items developed with extra environmental appeal. They take angles incorporating regenerative agriculture and/or upcycled ingredients.”

This August, Prepared Foods sponsored a two-hour Spirit of Innovation Awards Program and Integrated Innovation Experience. It included an opening “State of Food & Beverage Innovation” panel hosted and moderated by Lisa Maas, Principal, Innovation at IRI. Maas led a 30-minute discussion about food and beverage trends and technologies Inri Mouchette, Head of Innovation, Campbell Soup Company; and Barbara Stuckey, Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer, Mattson.

Each of six Spirit of Innovation Award winners then used videos to share stories about their award-winning products.

Spirit of Innovation Award sponsors include ingredients supplier Cargill Inc.; and the Contract Packaging Association, representing the nation’s contract packagers and manufacturers. 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 120 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 50 new products, which advanced through two rounds of preparation and tasting in late April and early May at Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations, Chicago.

A panel of eight industry judges evaluated each product against a 10-point scale in three categories: overall innovation, the team’s problem-solution story and sensory performance (including taste, appearance, texture, smell, etc.)

Finalist judges were:

Melanie Bartelme, Global Food Analyst, Mintel

Nicole Wollack, Sensory and Consumer Insights Manager, Imbibe

Jim Carper, former Editor-in-Chief, Dairy Foods magazine

Charlie Baggs, Founder, Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations

Nicole VanWort, Chef, Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations

Mike Leonard, Publisher, Prepared Foods

Nick Roskelly, Exec Editor-New Media, Prepared Foods

Bob Garrison, Editor, Prepared Foods 

Prepared Foods’ Spirit of Innovation Awards are unique in that they honor R&D teams’ multi-functional collaboration to identify market opportunities and work together in product development. There is no charge to enter, and to be eligible, products had to have been introduced between January 2020 and March 2021.

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. PF