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sofi Awards Coverage
Official sofi Award coverage
2011's Gold Award Winners
View all of the 2011 finalists2011 sofi Judging: The Final Two
Part Two Judging Begins
user ratingSome products get another chance to show their stuff to the sofi Awards judges.
Today marked the start of Round Two of sofi Awards judging. Every food category—from chocolates and confections to pasta sauces and beverages—faces off for two best-of-show titles: Outstanding New Product and Outstanding Product Line.
Obviously no competition is complete without rules. To qualify as “new”, products have to have been introduced to market no more than one year ago. A “line” must include at least six products under a certain name.
Part Two Judging - Day 1 Trends
Judges charged through the Outstanding New Product submissions today. With more than 400 contenders, this was no small feat. Seeing all these new products side by side evidenced some potential trends:
- Seafood made a big showing among the meat options, with Maine lobster pot pie and Salmon Pâté taking surf grub to a new level.
- Popcorn innovation is on the rise among snack foods: from classic sweet-and-salty combos like a drizzling of chocolate and caramel, to surprising spices like wasabi.
- Wine inspiration is sneaking into the unexpected: in Blackberry Wine–flavored goat’s milk yogurt, wine-focused cocktail mixes and cookies made specifically for pairing with your favorite red or white.
Tomorrow will see the New Product entries—still with 80 to go— finish up. Judges will then move on to the Product Lines, which are about more than just taste. They’ll need to bear in mind concept and execution as they scribble their notes to make sense of all they’ve seen and tasted, ultimately selecting for both titles a handful of Silver Finalists, who will go for the Gold at the Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington, D.C.
Check back tomorrow as we continue to go behind the scenes and wrap up the sofi Awards judging. And stay tuned next week to find out which food flavors and brands end up on top. —Eva Meszaros
Articles
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VIDEO: Baked Goods at the Judging Table
Behind-the-scenes at the judging
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sofi Judging Day 1
Flavor Trends and Combinations
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sofi Round Two: That’s a Wrap!
Tasting complete, it's time to tally the scores.
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