Presentation: Sofi Awards showcase taste and format developments
Kansas City: Often, the most inventive businesses are the tiniest ones. These entrepreneurs can more easily experiment with new flavours and product forms because of their smaller scale and simpler supply chains. An excellent way to gauge potential trends and developments is to check out the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) annual sofi Awards.
Normally a highlight of the SFA’s annual Summer Fancy Food Show, the sofi Awards were postponed this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Judging was also impeded by the pandemic.
The judging was postponed because to COVID-19. It was originally planned to take place in March at the Food Innovation Centre at Rutgers University (FIC), Bridgeton, NJ. A panel of culinary professionals tasted their way through 49 categories in a blind tasting to begin judging in late July, and it concluded in early August. Judges were positioned 12 feet apart in a controlled setting, following safety protocols, and FIC staff prepared and supervised the samples. Goods vying for Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards are evaluated based on 30% on ingredient quality and 70% on flavour.
According to Ron Tanner, vice president of education, government, and industry relations for the SFA, “the sofi Awards highlight the best of the best within the speciality food industry.” “This accomplishment of holding the Sofia Awards in accordance with these overcoming obstacles in a way that genuinely honours and celebrates our membership and our sector, and our 2020 winners have demonstrated a calibre of excellence that piques the interest of specialty food buyers and consumers everywhere overcoming obstacles in a way that genuinely honours and celebrates our membership and our sector, and our 2020 winners have demonstrated a calibre of excellence that piques the interest of specialty food buyers and consumers everywhere.