Fi Europe honours innovative companies and startups at awards ceremony
Recipients of the Fi Europe Innovation Awards and the Startup Innovation Challenge were honoured at a special ceremony during Fi Europe 2022 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles on 6 December. The winners were chosen by an expert judging panel for their outstanding contributions to the food and beverage ingredients industry.
and the calibre of entries this year was outstanding. Julien Bonvallet, Informa Markets Group Brand Director, said: “Over the years Fi Europe has provided the industry with a platform to discover new alternatives and find solutions to overcome challenges. Once again, the quality of entries to the Fi Europe Innovation Awards and the Startup Innovation Challenge was exceptionally high. This clearly shows that even – or especially – in challenging times, the ingredients industry continues to be both resilient and innovative, always findings ways to adapt to current market needs and driving initiatives that will shape a more sustainable food industry in the longer term.”
Food Training & Education Award (new for 2022): Mane (France) for its Food Development Training with flavourist students at ISIPCA, Paris, and future chefs at the Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland.
Sustainability Innovation Award: Ofi (Singapore) for Cocoa Compass, a project that provides 100 per cent traceability for cocoa produced across nine countries, and makes sure that farmers earn a living wage, child labour is eliminated and the natural world is protected. Diversity & Inclusion Innovation Award: Ingredion (USA) for its Women in Ingredion Business Resource Group. Established in December 2020 to empower women for an equal future, the group now has an inclusive network of members across EMEA, Asia-Pacific, North America and South America.
Plant-based Innovation Award: Bunge (USA) for its PurePro pea and faba proteins. Delivering 2g protein per serving, PurePro can be used to create superior vegan cheeses with improved sensory and nutritional profiles. Sensory Innovation Award: Cargill (USA) for Gerkens Sweety Cocoa Powders, two natural cocoa powders that enable 30 per cent sugar reduction in chocolate drinks, without the need for sweeteners or artificial ingredients.
Health Innovation Award: Limagrain (France) for LifyWheat wheat flour, a multipurpose functional ingredient for bread, pasta and biscuits. High in fibre and resistant starch, LifyWheat helps reduce blood sugar levels after a meal and has a prebiotic effect on gut microbiota. Food Tech Innovation: Sweegen (USA) for its novel bioconversion process for the production of Bestevia Reb M, the first new stevia ingredient produced via a new production technology to be approved for use in the European market by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
Startup Innovation Challenge
The winners of the Startup Innovation Challenge are as follows:
• Most Innovative Food or Beverage Ingredient: Kern-Tec
• Most Innovative Plant-Based or Alternative Ingredient: Brevel
• Most Innovative Processing Technology: Vanilla Vida
• Most Innovative Service, Technology or Digital Solution Supporting the F&B Industry: Bio2Coat
• Most Innovative Sustainable Solution: Bio2Coat
