News

Bridge2Food winners announced

29 Jun 2016

Pizza, do-it-yourself energy bars and pea protein were the winners of food industry consultancy’s Bridge2Food’s 1st Sports and Performance Nutrition Awards.

Pizza, do-it-yourself energy bars and pea protein were the winners of food industry consultancy’s Bridge2Food’s 1st Sports and Performance Nutrition Awards showcasing innovation, design, natural ingredients, protein and the increasing trend to adapt and target products to mainstream consumers.

Balls Bars and Bites from Food Creation Nation was awarded Winner in Best New Category Development. Proclaimed as a ‘DIY protein bar revolution’, it is a range of no bake protein bar mixes which were described as ‘awesome’ by judge Colinda Hoegee, MD, Holland & Barrett, Benelux. The judges were impressed that the product allowed consumers the flexibility to experiment with flavours and customise to personal taste. They saw it as a true category innovation that brought some fun to the sports nutrition market.

FITSHE was given a special Marketing Excellence award for its FITSHE After Workout Shake. Designed by women for women, the product was praised by judge Claire Nuttall, Founder of the Brand incubator for its natural formulation, attractive design, packaging and beautifully targeted marketing campaign.

Muscle Food’s Meat Feast Protein Pizza was the winner of the Best New Product category and Judge Robert Walker, head of Gymgrossisten was particularly impressed with the brand’s success in opening up opportunities in a very competitive consumer category. The judges liked the innovative ‘gluten free’ claim and found it tasted as good as any frozen pizza on the market.

Manuka Sports Bee-Fit from Family Foods was Highly Commended for Technical Excellence. Colinda Hoegee admired the natural formulation and the tangible benefits the product offered customers. She felt it strongly reflected the future trend in consumers demand for more natural ingredients and products.

Roquette was awarded the winner of Most Novel Ingredient category for its NUTRALYS S85Plus – a highly functional pea protein isolate for high protein sports drinks. Judge Asker Jeukendrup, director of mysportscience applauded the functional and sensory as well as the sustainability and nutritional benefits plus the comprehensive research that had supported the development.

“The winners truly showcase the innovation that is so exciting in the sports nutrition industry,” said Colinda Hoegee, MD of Holland & Barrett, Benelux. “It is encouraging to see so many of the finalists and winners using natural ingredients and bringing some fun into sports nutrition.”

“These are exciting times for the sports nutrition industry with innovation at its heart, and the ongoing trend towards targeting active mainstream consumers an increasingly important theme,” said Gerard Klein Essink of Bridge2Food. “We launched these Awards to recognise and showcase the entrepreneurs and companies that are leading the way and the winners suggest that the future is very bright for our industry.”