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Free From Food Awards

The UK's only industry awards for free from food & drink

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International Recognition

About

The Free From Food Awards are a celebration of innovation and excellence across every category of the free from food and drink sector.

Now in their 16th year they are widely recognised as a marker of both trust and quality and they remain the only UK award dedicated to free from food and drink.

International Interest

As the awards have grown so has the interest from brands outside of the UK. Some are keen to enter the UK market and others are simply wanting to get their product in front of the awards’ esteemed judging panel to benefit from their knowledge and expertise.

The new International Recognition category, sponsored by Nordic Organic Food Fair and Eco Living Scandinavia, is being introduced to recognise quality & innovation in free from food and drink outside of the UK market, and is therefore open to any product NOT commercially available yet in the UK.

This new category will help brands build awareness in the UK and gain valuable insights on the suitability of their product for the UK market.

Judging

This category award will recognise both innovation and quality, therefore all entries will be judged on the concept of their product as well the quality.

A specially selected panel including product developers, retail buyers and allergy advocates, all with an understanding of international markets will judge this category. 

A two-step judging process will be applied: 

  1. An entry submission and supporting imagery will be assessed and scored in advance of a physical judging session.
  2. There will then be a physical judging session where the judges will meet and taste each entry, assessing and scoring for taste, free from credentials & RRP.

In addition, each entry will be assessed for its suitability and relevance for the UK market. This will form part of the feedback pack that will be issued to all entrants.   

 

Entry Criteria

The entry criteria is the same as all other categories, except for the following:

  • Entries must not be available in the UK
  • All entries must have been available in their respective market for a minimum of 6 months as of 1st March 2024

 

Benefits of entering 

Entering any award is an investment in time and money. The Free From Food Awards recognise this and are committed to ensuring every entrant fully leverages the benefits of entering. 

  • Unique – as an established awards, and the only UK awards that is dedicated to free from food and drink, the Free From Food Awards are a fantastic and unique way for you to enhance the promotion of your brand to a UK audience  
  • Value – every entry gets its time in the spotlight with a carefully curated panel chosen from our roster of judges with expertise across the food and drink sector. So you can trust your entry will be assessed and critiqued by the best placed professionals in the industry.
  • Feedback – receive valuable insights on your entry, its suitability for the UK market and wider market insights.
  • Standout – the Free From Food Awards logo is recognised, within the industry and amongst consumers, as a trusted certification that helps identify safe, quality products. Being shortlisted or awarded a medal provides a hallmark of success that will prevail, highlighting the contribution your product is making to free from consumers in markets outside of the UK.
  • Communication – entrants are supported across the awards’ social media platforms which have a following in excess of 17k. 
  • Community – join other like-minded and energetic free from professionals. 
  • Confidence – entering displays a belief in your product which instills confidence in your product and your brand.

 
 

Cost to enter

  • Micro – turning over £0-£300,000 = £150+VAT per entry
  • Small – turning over £301,000- £3,000,000 = £220+VAT per entry
  • Large – turning over <£3,000,001 = £350+VAT per entry

This fee covers the cost of entry, medal logos (supplied in a digital format), use of the applicable logo and a bespoke feedback pack.

Please contact Cressida@freefromfoodawards.co.uk for more information, and to enter. 

Please note that entrants will also be liable for any import duty. 

 

Timeline 

Entry opens – January 2024 

Entry Closes – April 2024 

Judging – Early May 2024 

Shortlist Announced – May 2024

Winners Announced at the Awards Presentation – TBC June 2024 

 

Entry Process

  • Complete the entry form which is available on application and return along with the supporting imagery
  • We will issue you with an invoice for payment within 30 days
  • You will be sent an ‘Entrant’ logo
  • You will send samples for the judging session to a UK address (approx 4-6 products will be required) 
  • When the Shortlist is announced the ‘Finalist’ logo will be shared
  • The winner will be announced at our Awards’ Presentation evening after which Medal Winning logos will be shared
  • Following the announcements all entrants will receive feedback on their entry

Winners of the International Recognition category 2023!

We were delighted with the response to our inaugural International Recognition category, with entries from all around the world!

Gold Awards:

Unismack, The Mediterranean Snack Collection / Ancient Grain Snack Crackers – Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Matatie, Chocolate Brownie (Le Brownie)

Silver Awards:

Hi Barlee, Black Sesame Flavored Highland Barley Drink 

Hi Barlee, Walnut Flavored Highland Barley Drink 

Mellifera AD, MelliGEL CacaoMint 

Nanuki Boom Bar Metamorphic Brownie

Younique Foods The Barbarian, Double Choc Maca 

Bronze Awards:

Dr. Reich’s Organic FODMAP Bar Tigernut Tonka 

Hi Barlee, Barley Grass Flavored Highland Barley Drink 

Hi Barlee, Hazelnut Flavored Highland Barley Drink 

Issei Mochi Gummies (Mango) 

Pastificio Stroppa Gnocchi Gluten free ambient with spinach 

Unismack, The Mediterranean Snack Collection / Lentil Snack Crackers – Sweet Chilli 

Younique Foods Candy Town, Coconut

Younique Foods Leya’s Cultured Life, Plain – served chilled 

Commended:

Heaply, ​​Dark Chocolate Banana Mallows

Hi Barlee, Chocolate Flavored Highland Barley Drink 

Younique Foods Leya’s Cookies, Peanut Butter 

Younique Foods Leya’s Protein Cookies, Peanut Butter 

The judging of this category took into account the products’ relevance for the UK market, and this insightful and valuable feedback was shared with all entrants.
When awarding medals we applied the same approach we do in our main food & drink categories with judges considering how the product meets & satisfies criteria such as:
  • Product Visual: how does the product look both straight from pack and when served? How does this align to expectation?
  • Taste: does the product taste great & how does the taste experience align to expectation?
  • Flavour: does the product deliver on the flavours it promises?
  • Texture: how is the mouthfeel of the product?
  • Aroma: how does the product smell, is it inviting and representative of the appropriate flavours?
  • Free From Credentials: are the free from claims clear? Has the product eliminated unnecessary allergens where possible?
  • Ingredients List: ingredients will be considered (in some this will be more relevant than others) e.g. how clean is it? Does it deliver on its claims e.g. health benefits, nutritional profile?
  • Inclusivity: to what extent does the product aid inclusivity? Does it address a genuine occasion need?
  • Price Point/Value for Money: does the product represent good value for money? Expensive is OK assuming this is justified.

 

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Our wonderful Free From Christmas Awards 2023 Sponsors

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Our wonderful Free From Food Awards 2023 Sponsors

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The Gallery

free from food awards
Nairn’s

The Free From Food Awards are one of the most credible awards on the circuit, and we tend to enter products every year.  Much of our innovation in recent years has been in the gluten free side of our business so it’s a great opportunity for us to showcase some of our new products.  To free from consumers, displaying the winners logo on pack is a sign of quality and safety, and a win certainly adds value to the conversations our sales team have with their buyer contacts when talking about listings.  The awards themselves are really straightforward to enter and very well organised and they’re attracting some great brands, both big and small, to enter which highlights just how far free from foods have come in recent years.

Bute Island

This year (2018) we won Gold at the Free From Food Awards for our Dairy Free Grated Mild Cheddar Sheese. We have submitted products to these awards over the last ten years, and have been proud to win awards for various products. The process of entering the products is clear and straight  forward. The Bute Island team have attended several of the awards ceremonies and found them to be not only enjoyable, but beneficial for the business. It’s always been a pleasure and an honour to be part of the Free From Awards.

ChocChick

We have been entering the FFF Awards since 2010 and have had some incredible networking opportunities, caught up with industry leaders, begun collaborations and even met with senior buyers who listed our products in stores, so to have won Gold this year for our Cacao Nibbles was the icing on the cake. We are incredibly proud to be part of the Free From family.

Mina Said-AllsoppWildcraft Bakery

The networking opportunities at the FFFA18 party have been really amazing – we’ve met people we have been following on instagram and twitter… We met the founder of Genius which is… AMAZING! We are so excited to put the freefrom logo on our website and all our products.

retrocorn, freefrom food awards
Greg Taylor Managing Director, Retrocorn

Our win opened a door to a national distributor in the UK allowing us to get our popcorn in front of all the big UK contract caterers, winning new business with Baxter Storey, Caterlink and many others!  A fantastic award like this really does get you noticed!  We are delighted with our win and will be entering our Hasta La Vista in next years award 100%

 

Emma HeathNairn’s

For us at Nairn’s, winning gold is as much about internal reward as it is about anything external or consumer facing.  For those involved in developing and trialling the products and bringing them to market, winning any of the FFAs further recognition of a job well done and gives a real sense of pride and achievement to the team.

FFFA19 Gold Winner for Caramelised Onion Flatbreads

Sue WarrenStrategic Development Director, Unismack

The FFFA have been at the forefront of driving innovation, awareness and availability of an increasing range in the Free From arena since before it was a trend. The FreeFrom Food awards remain a focus point for the industry and are a great platform for communication and engagement

Julia MarriottDietitian, allergy sufferer and judge at #FFFA

The website gives one place where parents can go and look to see which companies have been shortlisted, who won… it’s a great chance to see the range of products available on the freefrom market that aren’t just in their local supermarkets. Products that have got the FreeFrom Food Awards logo give parents confidence that not only do they taste good, but they have been checked for ingredients and safe manufacturing processes, that sort of thing – it gives them confidence in the products they are choosing.

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