THE NETHERLANDS | The food industry celebrated its innovators and change makers at an awards ceremony in Frankfurt during the 2024 Fi Europe.
Nine companies received accolades in the contested 2024 Fi Europe Innovation Awards for their contributions to driving positive change in the industry. Five winners of the Startup Challenge were also revealed at the Innovation Hub.
The Innovation Awards celebrate innovation in all its guises and the people, teams and organisations behind the advancements. A panel of esteemed industry professionals judges them, presided over by Prof. Colin Dennis, chair of the board of trustees at IFIS and the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).
This year, winners were selected in nine categories, following the introduction of four new awards to keep pace with the industry's evolution. The number of entries was up by a remarkable 63 percent last year, indicative of a heightened focus on innovation in the industry, especially in the new categories of dairy alternatives, food manufacturing, future food tech and pet food.
Twenty-nine finalists, ranging from startups to multinational ingredient manufacturers, were shortlisted. On judging day, the 18th of November, each finalist was invited to present to the panel, and the judges assessed each nomination behind closed doors to reach a decision.
“The judges were very impressed by the quantity and quality of the entries across all nine awards categories. The entries highlighted how innovation contributes to our food systems' transformation. Selecting the shortlist of finalists was more challenging than usual and reflected the current pace of innovation,” said Prof. Colin Dennis.
The 2024 winners and ‘highly commended’ entrants were as follows:
Health Innovation Award: ADM (winner) for its ES1 Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 postbiotic, which the judges praised for demonstrating clear health benefits for consumers in multiple food applications; Novonesis (highly commended) for its mood-support probiotic MindAbleTM 1714TM’.
Sustainability Innovation Award: AAK (winner) for its entry ‘Empowering women in shea’, which demonstrated depth and scale of impact across the three sustainability pillars of environmental, societal and economic; Dossche Mills (highly commended) for its submission ‘Third-party verified Terah Standard makes the difference in the journey towards 50 percent carbon reduction in flour’.
Plant-based Innovation Award: Avebe (winner) for PerfectaSOL S200 offered a compelling solution to the critical quality challenge of flimsy coatings on plant-based meat and fish products.
Food Manufacturing Award (NEW): GEA Process Engineering (winner) for its next-generation RAY® Plus batch freeze dryers opened up new opportunities for products and markets due to reduced operating costs and increased efficiencies.
Future Foodtech Innovation Award (NEW): Cargill (winner) for its Indulgence Redefined—a Confectionery alternative to chocolate, a collaboration with Voyage Foods. The jury described this as a revolutionary toolkit for generating confectionery alternatives from multiple feedstocks, including waste streams.
Pet Food Innovation Award (NEW): Cargill (winner) 's low-inclusion TruPet postbiotic unlocked gut health and vitality benefits by retaining efficacy through modern pet food processing conditions.
Dairy Alternative Innovation Award (NEW): Bunge (winner) for Beleaf Plantery - a sustainable, versatile and unique fat-based system to replace dairy fat; Avebe (highly commended) for PerfectaSOL D600 - a texturiser for plant-based yogurt.
Sensory Innovation Award: Novonesis (winner) for Novamyl® BestBite – an enzyme system that enhanced the sensory quality of baked goods throughout their shelf life.
Diversity and Inclusion Award: Agronutris (winner) for building a diverse, equitable and inclusive company through transparent shared governance.
Now in its ninth edition, the Startup Challenge awards programme has championed and nurtured new talent. It has provided a unique platform for young companies to gain exposure to a global audience, attract investment and connect with potential partners.
The final round of judging took place on the 18th of November when finalists presented their innovative ingredients and disruptive food tech to a panel of expert judges.
On the 19th of November, they were allowed to pitch again—this time in front of the 2024 Fi Europe audience live on the show floor at the Innovation Hub. The winners were subsequently announced at a ceremony within the hub.
- Most Innovative Food and Beverage Ingredient: Perfat Technologies
- Most Innovative Plant-Based or Alternative Ingredient: Fabumin
- Most Innovative Service or Digital Solution Supporting the F&B Industry: Natural Trace
- Most Innovative Foodtech Solution: Yeastime
- Most Innovative Sustainable Solution (Jury's Choice award): Akoua
