At the glamorous Free From Food Awards party in central London on Fri 21st June, those deliverers of disruption in the free from category, CRAVE, were crowned Free From Small Brand of the Year and their gluten and milk free snack, The Big Dipper, won the coveted title of Free From Food Product of the Year.
Appealing to kids of all ages with its brilliantly imaginative design, exciting colours, and tasty, free from contents the creamy, rich hazelnut spread paired with crunchy breadsticks was declared “a unique offering in the free from category”, by one of the judges, while another described the product as “perfect for lunchboxes or as a handy on-the-go treat,”.
And over in the Drink Awards corner, Gun Brewery scooped two golds, and their Numb Angel Lager won the Free From Drink Product of The Year. “A refreshing choice for summer with its light golden colour and fresh taste. With organic ingredients and a smooth, drinkable nature.” gushed one judge. “Ideal for those new to craft beers, it offers a gentle introduction with its subtle flavours.”.
Asda retained Retailer of the Year award, and continue to offer an impressive selection of foods for the allergic community not just within their core Free From range, but at Easter and across many of their main category ranges, while the Co-op successfully defended their Convenience Retailer of the Year crown.
“Year on year the quality of entries increases, with the focus moving from showstopping, groundbreaking innovation, to product delivery – such as packaging and quality evolution, which is closing the gap between free from and main category alternatives” said Awards’ CEO, Cressida Langlands. “But for that food to be truly safe we believe that everyone in the industry should be collaborating to ensure a uniform approach to clear ingredient labelling.”
Sponsor Tanya Ednan Laperouse of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation introduced the winner of the Free From Hero Award, Julianne Ponan MBE; “not only is she the founder of an innovative young brand specialising in Top 14 Allergen Free products, she campaigns for safer spaces like airlines and schools, and raises awareness of allergies through her free School Assembly campaign, and her life goal is to improve the lives of people living with food hypersensitivities around the world.”
You can find all medallists here on our new filterable winners page!
POSSIBLE FEATURES / NEWS IDEAS
- “The gap is closing between the free from and main category – where will free from go next?”
- “It’s definitely time to collaborate and ensure a uniform approach to ingredients & allergen labelling; is it also time to reassess the UK’s top 14 allergens? ”
- “Reading labels where more than one allergen needs to be avoided is difficult, we welcome research into the visual and cognitive processing of labels which could lead to improved layouts.”
For more information, interviews, images or an informal chat please contact Cressida Langlands on 07790 869706 or Nicki Clowes on 07507 876673.
