CHICAGO—The first All Things Organic™ New Product Competition recognized the best new organic products of 2009 during a ceremony held June 17 at the All Things Organic™ Conference & Trade Show in Chicago at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place.
A distinguished panel of food professionals gathered on site to judge the selected finalists and choose the winners. Products were judged based on a set of criteria specific to each category including taste, appearance, efficacy, convenience and practicality, packaging and merchandising, as well as its originality and marketability.
The 2009 winners are: The Organic Smokehouse’s Elderflower Cured Gravadlax (Best Overall Organic Retail), Cloud Top Organic Functional Frozen Yogurt (Best Overall Organic Foodservice), SK Food International’s Crimson Red Corn (Best Overall Organic Ingredient) and Bethel Organics Inc. Real Organic Real Easy Seed Starting Kit (Best Overall Organic Non-Food).
One New Organic Product Grand Award was given to the product with the highest overall score. With an overall score of 296 points out of a possible 300, the prize was awarded to Bethel Organics Inc. Real Organic Real Easy Seed Starting Kit.
The 2009 Panel of Judges included: Scott P. Silverman, category director (Natural & Organic), Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.; Steve Schoultz, director contract manufacturing, Sara Lee Corporation; and Vaughan Lazar, president/founder, Pizza Fusion.