• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Celebrating excellence: Fi Europe Innovation Awards and Startup Innovation Challenge 2022 winners unveiled

Asia Food Journal
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Channels
    • Packaging
    • Processing
    • Ingredients
    • Industry
    • Automation
    • Guest Posts
    • Market Trends
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact Us
    • Submit Guest Posts
Share
Leaderboard of Asia Food Journal




Celebrating excellence: Fi Europe Innovation Awards and Startup Innovation Challenge 2022 winners unveiled

December 8, 2022 by Asia Food Journal

fi europe innovation awards

Courtesy of Informa Markets

Paris/France, December 2022: Informa Markets is delighted to announce the recipients of this year’s prestigious Fi Europe Innovation Awards and the Startup Innovation Challenge winners. Honoured at a special ceremony during Fi Europe 2022 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles on 6 December, the winners were chosen by an expert judging panel for their outstanding contributions to the food and beverage ingredients industry. 

The awards have proven to be real success accelerators for previous winners, and the calibre of entries this year was outstanding. 

Leaderboard of Asia Food Journal

Julien Bonvallet, Informa Markets Group Brand Director, said: 

“Over the years, Fi Europe has provided the industry with a platform to discover new alternatives and find solutions to overcome challenges. Once again, the quality of entries to the Fi Europe Innovation Awards and the Startup Innovation Challenge was exceptionally high. This clearly shows that even – or especially – in challenging times, the ingredients industry continues to be both resilient and innovative, always findings ways to adapt to current market needs and driving initiatives that will shape a more sustainable food industry in the longer term.” 

Mr Bonvallet presented the Fi Europe Innovation Awards, alongside Chair of the judging panel Professor Colin Dennis (Chair of the Board of Trustees of IFIS and the British Nutrition Foundation), and other members of the Informa Markets management team to this year’s winners:

  • Food Training & Education Award (new for 2022): Mane (France) for its Food Development Training with flavourist students at ISIPCA, Paris, and future chefs at the Culinary Arts Academy in Switzerland.
  • Sustainability Innovation Award: Ofi (Singapore) for Cocoa Compass, a project that provides 100 per cent traceability for cocoa produced across nine countries and ensures that farmers earn a living wage, child labour is eliminated, and the natural world is protected.
  • Diversity & Inclusion Innovation Award: Ingredion (USA) for its Women in Ingredion Business Resource Group. Established in December 2020 to empower women for an equal future, the group now has an inclusive network of members across EMEA, Asia-Pacific, North America and South America.
  • Plant-based Innovation Award: Bunge (USA) for its PurePro pea and faba proteins. Delivering 2g protein per serving, PurePro can be used to create superior vegan cheeses with improved sensory and nutritional profiles.
  • Sensory Innovation Award: Cargill (USA) for Gerkens Sweety Cocoa Powders, two natural cocoa powders that enable 30 per cent sugar reduction in chocolate drinks, without the need for sweeteners or artificial ingredients.
  • Health Innovation Award: Limagrain (France) for LifyWheat wheat flour, a multipurpose functional ingredient for bread, pasta and biscuits. High in fibre and resistant starch, LifyWheat helps reduce blood sugar levels after a meal and has a prebiotic effect on gut microbiota.
  • Food Tech Innovation: Sweegen (USA) for its novel bioconversion process for the production of Bestevia Reb M, the first new stevia ingredient produced via a new production technology to be approved for use in the European market by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 

Mark Stavro, Senior Director Product Marketing at Bunge, said the company was proud that the work of its dedicated teams had been recognised with the Plant-Based Innovation award. “Our R&D applications team used proprietary technologies and faba beans to extract the right plant proteins,” he said. “These proteins mimic casein, delivering a typical cheese-like melt and eating experience to plant-based cheese.”

Sweegen’s global team was also thrilled with its Food Innovation Technology Award. Luca Giannone, Senior Vice President of Sales, said: “We’ve focused on Europe as a promise to pioneer the new hero of sugar reduction – Bestevia Reb M – and we will continue to innovate and open doors to bring our wellness ingredient technologies to Europe for better-for-you foods and beverages.” 

Paying thanks to ISIPCA and the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland for their forward-thinking partnerships, Solenn Coic, Savoury R&D manager at Mane, said: “We are so happy to have received this award, which recognises the long-term commitment that Mane has towards the training of young generations for a better future.”

Virginia Clifford, Technical Service Manager (Savoury), Ingredion, also spoke of a positive, more inclusive future when she said: “I am thrilled and privileged to have been able to accept the Diversity & Inclusion Innovation award and to be representing the EMEA chapter of our Women of Ingredion Business Resource Group. This will mean so much to our members and allies as they all work hard to progress our objectives of levelling up for women in business.” 

Dick Brinkman, Cargill R&D Leader Cocoa EMEA, added: “As a food ingredient supplier, it is important that we are completely in touch with what today’s and tomorrow’s consumers want. This award proves that the remarkable efforts of our Cargill R&D and commercial teams have resulted in an exceptional product: Gerkens Sweety cocoa powders. We thank FiE for this Sensory Innovation award and the opportunity to highlight this innovation to an industry audience.” 

The winners of the Startup Innovation Challenge are as follows: 

  • Most Innovative Food or Beverage Ingredient: Kern-Tec
  • Most Innovative Plant-Based or Alternative Ingredient: Brevel
  • Most Innovative Processing Technology: Vanilla Vida
  • Most Innovative Service, Technology or Digital Solution Supporting the F&B Industry: Bio2Coat
  • Most Innovative Sustainable Solution: Bio2Coat

Fi Europe 2022 exhibition continues at Porte de Versailles in Paris until 8 December and online until 23 December 2022. 

For more information, please visit www.figlobal.com/fieurope/en/home.html

Other Topics: Fi Europe Innovation Awards, Industry, Industry News, innovation, sustainability

Related Articles

  • recyclable and CO2-reducing adhesives

    Courtesy of Henkel

    Sustainability that sticks: Henkel showcases recyclable and CO2-reducing adhesives at Labelexpo Europe 2025
  • Fi Europe Awards

    Courtesy of Fi Europe

    Fi Europe 2025 Awards entries open
  • Ayurvedic wellness

    Courtesy of Gonmisol

    Gonmisol, K. Patel join to bring Ayurvedic wellness to Europe
  • Starbucks Taiwan

    Courtesy of Starbucks

    Starbucks Taiwan unveils its largest flagship store at Dream Plaza, Taipei 
  • low-carbon operations

    Courtesy of CP Foods

    CP Foods equips SMEs for global markets with low-carbon operations
  • Origin Green

    Courtesy of Bord Bia

    Driving global food transparency: How Ireland is using traceability to advance sustainability goals 
Leaderboard of Asia Food Journal

Primary Sidebar

Stay Connected

Your browser does not support the video tag. Learn More

Trending News

  • Kerry Jakarta officeKerry expands innovation footprint in Southeast Asia… Kerry, a global leader in taste and nutrition, officially opened…
  • sustainable sourcingBeverage solutions brand DaVinci Gourmet drives… In a first among global food service beverage brands, DaVinci…
  • Fi Asia Thailand 2025Fi Asia Thailand 2025 registration opens:… Organisers expect a record-breaking showcase of ingredient innovations from 17-19…
  • Singapore’s most beloved local F&B brands revealed: foodpanda unveils first-ever Local Foodie Heroes Hall of FameSingapore’s most beloved local F&B brands… A delicious tribute to Singapore’s iconic local eats to mark…
  • Restaurant Asia 2025Restaurant Asia 2025: F&B industry gathers at… Co-organised by the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS) and IEG…
  • Immersive Experience HubIFF expands innovation center in Singapore with new… Immersive Hub to accelerate innovation, deepen customer collaboration, and strengthen…
  • AoFrio iQAoFrio iQ: Unlocking full-fleet intelligence in… AoFrio, a global leader in commercial refrigeration technology, has unveiled…

Subsribe to Our News Letter

Subscribe To
Our Newsletter


By submitting this form, you consent to receive marketing emails from Asia Food Journal. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.

© 2025 Harvest Information. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer: Translations on this website are automated using Google Translate. While we strive for accuracy, please be cautious, as machine translations may contain errors. For critical or sensitive content, consider seeking professional human translation. We are not liable for any reliance on the translated content.

Become an F&B industry insider

Your go-to resource for all the latest trends, innovations, and news about the food and beverage industry!

 

By submitting this form, you consent to receive marketing emails from Asia Food Journal. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email.