Product entries are up 62 per cent compared to last year, with a broad range of entrants, including a variety of primary produce such as crayfish, lamb and eggs, and artisan products such as beverages, cheese and cereals.

Judging has now wrapped up, with finalists to be announced at Villa Maria Estate in Auckland on 1 September.

Acclaimed chef and food writer, Ray McVinnie, is back on the celebrity judges panel this year, and was excited by what he saw. “I had some wow moments. I’m not going to say what they are, but I definitely had some wow moments, to the point where I just wanted to eat the whole lot.”

He says provenance and purity were strong themes. “I saw some things with amazing provenance that I was very pleased to see. I saw some very pure products, which I was pleased to see. And I also saw lots of products which are using the amazing sort of food technology that we have in this country, not to just produce the same old, same old sort of products, but to produce fantastic products.”

Health and wellness

Television chef and cookbook author, Nici Wickes, says there were a number of highlights this year. “We saw a large number of products aimed at the health and wellness market, some beautiful tonics, syrups and vinegars and other condiments that really impressed us. The ice creams were very good this year and we were delighted by a ‘live’ product that was really unexpected.”

She warned food producers about using technology to manipulate foods in an unhealthy way. “If they [food producers] are too concerned with putting something on the market that’s cheap, bulking something up, making it too convenient, all we are doing is looking at an inconvenient future in terms of the health of New Zealanders.

“I think we need to be very careful around that, and just because it might be a trend happening overseas, just because technology is allowing us to do certain things, we shouldn’t feel like we need to be doing it, because ultimately, only real food will give us real health in the future.”

She was thrilled to be involved with the New Zealand Food Awards again. “I think the awards are run incredibly professionally and to very high standards, so they feel as though they are really finding the best of the best that’s in this country. And we keep seeing these food awards really grow and that keeps me coming back year after year.”

Provenance

Award winning chef, Geoff Scott, also returned to the judging panel this year. He says it is great to see provenance being taken another layer or two further than previous years. “Not only are we knowing where the food is from, but consumers are interested now in much more than that. They want to know about where it is, how it’s grown, the techniques that are used, whose actually making the decisions, what’s the philosophy behind the growing, or the farming, or the manufacturing techniques that are being used, and the purity and the concepts behind those decisions.”

He raved about one entry in particular – a first for the New Zealand Food Awards. “One thing which really struck me this year was to see our very first live entry, with some beautiful freshwater crayfish, It was really fantastic.”

“The thing I love most about judging is seeing the different technology, the different types of innovation, the different creativity and different aspects that producers and manufacturers and growers are bringing to the food awards. For me, that’s really exciting, and of course when that comes together and tastes amazing, that is just wonderful.”

Owned and organised by Massey University, the New Zealand Food Awards recognise innovation and excellence by our largest export sector. The annual programme, which has been running since 1987, celebrates new initiatives in New Zealand food and beverage production, showcasing the best of the country’s food industry.

Winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the Auckland Museum, MC’d by broadcaster and food critic, Jesse Mulligan, on 13 October.

Winning products are eligible to use the New Zealand Food Awards ‘Quality Mark’, which highlights the superiority of their products to both consumers and industry, and can help boost sales and distribution domestically and internationally.

The New Zealand Food Awards is made possible thanks to Massey University and the family of strategic and supporting partners – Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development, Countdown, FoodHQ, The Foodbowl, The New Zealand Institute of Food Science and Technology, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, NZME, Review Publishing, XPO Exhibitions, RangeMe, Brother Design, Palmerston North City Council and Villa Maria.

For more information, visit www.foodawards.co.nz