The Quality Food Awards
The Quality Food Awards started in 1979, originally in conjunction with the late lamented Supermarketing magazine. The intention was then, as it is today, to highlight best practice in food and drink products that are freely available to all, through supermarkets, food service and independent retailers.
Today the awards are run by a dedicated team at EMAP. From a single set of awards, they have grown to include Christmas, Small Producer and several Retailer Of The Year categories.
The judging process
All the various Quality Food Awards are assessed in the same robust and comprehensive judging process. Products are scrutinised by a panel of independent food industry experts against the following criteria:
- taste
- flavour
- texture
- aroma
- clean ingredients list
- degree of innovation
- packaging
- presentation
- price point
For each product category the judges decide upon a shortlist, guided by an expert chair. From this shortlist a category winner is selected. A second round of judging then decides which of the category winners should win the highly coveted Gold Q award. The judges also have the option to commend or highly commend outstanding products. Last years results can be seen here .
Every entrant receives comprehensive feedback on their product so they can see the positive and negative comments made by the judging panel. This forms part of the QFA’s commitment to encouraging continuous improvement in the food and drink industry.
Find out more
Everything you need to know about the Quality Food Awards can be found here , including details of how and when to enter.