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

Awards Terms & Conditions

Last Updated: 08/01/2026

TERMS USED 

The Organisers or the FFA – the Free From Awards organisation that runs the Free From Food, Drinks, International & Easter Awards and the Free From Halloween & Christmas Awards.

User account – the area where you submit and pay for entries, and which contains all submitted entries. 

Primary email – the email address listed in the user account, to which correspondence about FFA entries, sample deliveries and results will be sent.

Entrant – the company or person entering a product into the FFA

Entry form – the electronic document located with the account holder’s entry portal, where all details about each product entered are shared

Registration:

  1. FFA is open to food producers, importers, distributors, and retailers of food and drink products.
  2. Entry into FFA is electronic via a dedicated online portal/account accessed via weblink. 
  3. A primary email address for one point of contact should be given for all FFA correspondence. 
  4. It is the responsibility of all entrants to ensure that the domain name freefromfoodawards.co.uk is added to a safe senders list to avoid missing important FFA information.
  5. It is the responsibility of all entrants taking part in FFA to provide correct information in all entry form fields.
  6. The primary email holder is responsible for sharing all relevant details with the person who is coordinating delivery of the samples for judging.

Criteria:

  1. To qualify for entry into the Free From Awards products must be free from at least one of the top 14 UK-listed major allergens with no precautionary allergen labelling for the allergen/s specified in the free from claim, e.g. product cannot claim to be gluten free and have a ‘may contain’ warning for gluten.
  2. All products must be commercially available nationwide by the dates stipulated (Food Awards (incl Nutritional Supplements), Easter Awards, Drinks Awards, International Awards, Halloween Awards, Christmas Awards) i.e. sold through independent / multiple retailers or online – the exceptions being:
    • Foodservice: must be available to foodservice or in production with a desire to supply direct to foodservice clients or via a wholesaler
    • International Recognition: must be available overseas only
    • Speciality Foods: any premium quality regional foods

Conditions & requirements for entry:

  1. Products previously entered into the Free From Awards are eligible for re-entry.
  2. Groups, networks or PR companies entering products on behalf of a client or clients MUST enter EACH product under the COMPANY NAME of the producer. 
  3. The FFA take the product/free from labelling and any/all accompanying information at face value and assume that the supplier can justify all claims. If anything needs clarification the FFA reserve the right to ask for more information.
  4. Most entries are judged blind, except where packaging is a significant determiner of purchase, or where entries are shared with relevant in-home judges.
  5. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you answer each mandatory question as fully as possible when submitting product entries.
  6. We do not accept a ‘range’ of flavour variations in one entry, unless they are sold as one unit – in this case, the ingredients for each flavour or variation of the product must be included in the entry.
  7. Entry form must be correct by entry deadline pertaining to each awards cycle. Only in extreme circumstances will amendments to entries be made, and only at the discretion of the FFA.
  8. No entry will be accepted after entry deadline.
  9. An extension to the entry deadline may be added; this is at the discretion of the FFA.
  10. Entries can be withdrawn after the awards’ entry deadline but no refund of entry fees will be given.

Allergen labelling – We follow the Food Standards Agency guidance on precautionary allergen labelling (PAL):

  1. If any one of these PAL statements applies to your entry, this must be declared in the correct entry form field:
    • May contain
    • May contain traces of
    • Made/manufactured/packed in a kitchen/factory/premises that handles/uses/processes
    • Not suitable for consumers with an allergy to
  2. If the product does not carry any PAL we assume that a full risk assessment has been carried out and that comprehensive allergen management protocols are in place so that if any of the top 14 major allergens is handled by the production factory there will be no risk to the food hypersensitive consumer.

Payment:

  1. Entry fees are scaled to annual company turnover; these three-tiers can be found on the website:
    • Micro: £0-£300,000
    • Small: £300,001- £3,000,000
    • Large: <£3,000,001
  2. The FFA ask only for confirmation that entrants can qualify for either of the lower entry fees, we retain the right to ask for proof.
  3. 10% discount is applied on entry forms submitted before date stipulated for each awards cycle.
  4. Payment, in full, for each entry must have been received through the awards’ payment portal or, if the entrant cannot for whatever reason use the portal, a purchase order or other arrangement for payment, must have been received by the awards by the commencement of judging. 
  5. A VAT receipted invoice will be emailed to you on completion of your online transaction.
  6. No refunds will be made if a product has to be withdrawn from entry into the FFA after entry has closed. However, if you contact the FFA before the entry deadline, the FFA may be able to either make a refund (depending on circumstances and at the discretion of the FFA), accept an alternative product in its place, or offer entry into an alternative FFA cycle.
  7. Any refund given will incur an administrative penalty of 10% of the total refund.
  8. Companies may enter as many products as they wish.

Samples and Judging Sessions

  1. Entrants will be asked to submit judging samples. Details of where, when and how much to send will be provided by email once the entry has been validated.
  2. Judging will take place at time stipulated for each awards cycle at a location in London/Hampshire/Hertfordshire.
  3. Samples submitted must be either retail ready or pre-production/kitchen samples. If pre-production or kitchen samples are supplied they MUST meet the same free from criteria as specified on the entry form. 
  4. All judging samples must be received by the deadline specified or entry will be forfeited.
  5. The FFA will prepare entries for judging according to the printed instructions on the packs in which the products are sold, or according to the instructions received via entry form.
  6. Entries are judged on how they meet and satisfy a complex range of criteria, all of which are considered within the context of free from and scale of production. Criteria are weighted depending upon the nature of the entry e.g. product visual is much more important in a product that is aligned to the Gifting occasion than a family style pasta sauce where price and inclusivity are more important than other criteria. 
  7. For operational reasons the FFA may specify different delivery dates to a company with more than one entry.
  8. It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure the prompt and safe delivery of all entries by the date supplied. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.
  9. When sending judging samples, please state clearly if entries need to be refrigerated or frozen and every entry MUST carry a Use By or Best Before date. If a product is outside of its use by date at time of judging it may be disqualified.
  10. It is the entrant’s responsibility to ensure that all products are packed, transported and delivered in a condition fit and safe for consumption by the judges.
  11. Any products arriving in a damaged or unsafe condition may be disqualified.
  12. Any postal charges applicable to the delivery of an entry must be paid by the entrant.

Special Awards:

  1. The Free From Awards make several Special Awards, which include:
  2. FFA only:
    • Almost Totally Free From
    • Tree Nut & Peanut Free
    • Innovation Award
    • Start Up of the Year
    • Sustainability Award
    • Brands of the Year
    • Products of the Year
    • Retailer of the Year (ROTY)
    • Healthier Product of the Year
  3. FFA only: The Special Awards cannot be entered directly – but all entries into the Food & Drinks Awards are eligible, subject to the individual criteria below. A shortlist for each Special Award that meets these different criteria will be selected from among all medallists. Our sponsors and carefully selected FFA judges will review and decide on winners.
  4. FFA only: The Special Awards will consider all entries into the Food & Drinks Awards.
  5. FFA only: ROTY requires a minimum entry of 40 products, with a minimum of 1 entry addressing each of the food occasion categories as specified below.
  6. FFA only: the 16 food occasion categories that need to represented within a retailer entry to qualify for ROTY (categories are subject to change dependent upon entries – any change to this list will be shared with entrants):
    • Breakfast & Morning Goods
    • Milk Product Alternatives
    • Grocery
    • Breads
    • Cheese Alternatives
    • Centre of Plate
    • Sides & Lights
    • Prepared Meals
    • Grab & Go
    • Savoury Snacking
    • Sweet OR Healthier Snacking
    • Confectionery
    • Desserts & Puddings
    • Cookies & Biscuits OR Cakes & Bakes
    • Almost Totally Free From
    • Child & Teen
  7. FFA only: The top scoring entry from each of these 16 categories plus the highest scoring 14 products from all other entries will determine a retailer’s score and ultimately Retailer of the Year.
  8. FFA only: Easter medals, as with our other seasonal awards, are excluded when calculating Retailer of the Year.
  9. FFA only: To qualify for Brand of the Year, entrants will need to have entered a minimum of 3 products into the awards for ‘Small or Micro Brands’, and 6 for ‘Large Brands’. We determine micro, small & large as per our entry fee criteria (see Payment above)
  10. The Free From Christmas Awards make several Special Awards, which include:
  11. FFCA only:
    • Product of the Year
    • Brand of the Year
    • Range of the Year (ROTY)
  12. FFCA only: The Special Awards cannot be entered directly – but all entries into the Christmas Awards are eligible, subject to the individual criteria below. A shortlist for each Special Award that meets these different criteria will be selected from among all medallists. Our sponsors and carefully selected FFA judges will review and decide on winners.
  13. FFCA only: to qualify for Range of the Year, a minimum of 15 products must be entered, with a minimum of one entry allocated to each of these festive food categories:
    • Gifting 
    • Party Food
    • Mince Pies
    • Biscuits & Cookies OR Cakes & Bakes
    • Christmas Meal Occasions – Meal Centres OR Accompaniments 
    • After Dinner 
  14. FFCA only: The top scoring entry from each of these 6 festive food categories plus the highest scoring 4 products from all other entries will determine a retailer’s score and ultimately Christmas Range of the Year.
  15. FFCA only: Halloween medals, as with our other seasonal awards, are excluded when calculating Range of the Year.
  16. FFCA only: To qualify for Brand of the Year, entrants will need to have entered a minimum of 3 products into the awards for ‘Small or Micro Brands’, and 6 for ‘Large Brands’. We determine micro, small & large as per our entry fee criteria (see Payment above)

Medallists, Logos, Certificates, Feedback and Presentation Party:

  1. A ‘winner’ or ‘medallist’ is a product that is awarded a commended, bronze, silver, gold. In the Special Awards there can be winners and runners up. 
  2. We will award gold, silver, bronze and commended in each awards cycle. Medals are awarded on how entries satisfy a complex range of criteria, all of which are considered within the context of free from: criteria are weighted depending upon the nature of the entry e.g. product visual is important in a Gifting product; price and inclusivity in a family style pasta sauce. 
    • Commended: notable quality; solid credentials and free from compliance, but doesn’t meet enough of the criteria for the official medal tiers.
    • Bronze: a product that delivers well on a few of the criteria, but which can certainly be improved on.
    • Silver: a strong product with a few areas that don’t reach gold standard, but overall very good in many criteria.
    • Gold: the product excels across majority judging criteria—meeting the highest standards in many of these: taste, texture, visual appeal, ingredient quality, inclusivity, price point and technical execution.
  3. FFA only: medallists will be announced at the Awards Presentation Party in June and all entrants, friends, sponsors and judges will be invited to join us for the very best free from networking event in the calendar.
  4. FFA only: invitations will be sent out in advance. There will be a tiered ticket price.
  5. FFA only: all ‘winners’ and ‘medallists’ in the Food, Drinks and International Awards will be announced at the FFA Presentation Party in June.
  6. All other Awards results will be announced online.
  7. FFCA only: Christmas Awards medals are shared privately with entrants before any public announcements have been made, allowing brands to include these in any marketing comms in the run up to Christmas.
  8. FFCA only: Christmas Awards entrants will be required to sign an NDA agreeing not to publicly share whether their product has won a medal until the public announcements have been made.
  9. The full and final results featuring all products that have won a medal will be available online after each announcement.
  10. When calculating scores from medals awarded Gold is counted as 4 points, Silver 3 points, Bronze 2 points and Commended 1 point.
  11. An email alert from the Organisers will be sent out to all entrants, judges, sponsors and related contacts as soon as the Winners are published on the FFA website.
  12. Own label products may be entered either by retailers or manufacturers but only retailers/own-brand names will be credited with the entry for allocation medals.
  13. The FFA reserves the right to talk about winners and share carefully selected judges’ comments on our social media platforms.
  14. Entry feedback can be provided once the results have been announced. This is available free of charge but the entrant assumes responsibility for requesting this.
  15. FFA logos and certificates will be available to companies wishing to use them for promotional purposes. There is no charge for using the logo.
  16. A link to all medal logos will be shared with entrants.
  17. Award certificates are available on request and will be sent as .pdf via by email.
  18. Use of the FFA logo must be in accordance with the Logo Usage Guidelines.

Enhanced Feedback Service

  • Scope of Service
    • The Enhanced Feedback Service affords additional time with judges best placed to address the additional questions, a qualitative review of a product entry beyond the standard judge’s summary. This feedback is gathered during the live judging process and is based on the consensus and observations of the assigned expert panel. While entrants may request focus on specific areas (e.g., texture, packaging, or flavour profile), the final report will reflect the holistic professional opinion of the panel.
  • Non-Guarantee of Award Success
    • Purchase of the Enhanced Feedback Service is a separate commercial agreement for insights and data. It does not influence the judging score or the likelihood of receiving a Bronze, Silver, or Gold medal. The feedback is intended for product development and marketing purposes only.
  • Professional Opinion & Liability
    • Feedback is provided as a ‘professional opinion’ by experts within the free from sector. While this data is designed to assist with Existing Product Development (EPD) or New Product Development (NPD), the Free From Awards (FFA) does not accept liability for any commercial decisions, recipe changes, or financial investments made by the entrant based on this feedback. The FFA provides no warranty that implementing the suggested changes will result in increased sales or future award wins.
  • Delivery Timelines
    • Enhanced Feedback Reports will be delivered to the entrant within [X] weeks following the public announcement of the winners for that specific cycle. Reports will be sent in digital format to the email address associated with the entry account.
  • Usage Rights
    • The content of the Enhanced Feedback Report is for the internal use of the entrant. While the entrant may extract quotes for internal stakeholder presentations or B2B retailer pitches, the feedback remains the intellectual property of the Free From Awards. It may not be published in full or used in consumer-facing communication without prior written consent from the FFA.
  • Feedback Specificity
    • Entrants are responsible for providing clear, specific questions or areas of focus to the FFAs who will in collaboration with judges provide a summary outlining the ‘scope of work’. This needs to be signed by entrant and FFAs. Entrants will be accountable for providing any visual aids and potentially additional samples. Contact us for details.

Disputes

  • The organisers reserve the right to change the awards, categories and organisational details without prior notice.
  • The organisers reserve the right to accept or reject entries.
  • The decision of the judging panel is final and the Free From Awards will not enter into any correspondence about the judges’ decisions.
  • It is a condition of entry that all entrants will be bound by these rules.