On 19 November, the food industry celebrated its innovators and change makers at a glittering awards ceremony in Frankfurt during Fi Europe. Nine companies picked up accolades in the hotly contested 2024 Fi Europe Innovation Awards in recognition of their contributions to driving positive change in the F&B industry. Earlier in the day, the five winners of the Startup Challenge were revealed at the Innovation Hub.  

Innovation Awards: Reflecting the changing face of the industry

The Innovation Awards celebrate F&B innovation in all of its guises and the people, teams, and organisations behind the advancements. They are judged by a panel of esteemed industry professionals presided over by Prof. Colin Dennis, chair of the board of trustees at IFIS and the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).  

This year, winners were selected in nine categories, following the introduction of four new awards to keep pace with the evolution of the industry. The number of entries was up by a remarkable 63 percent last year, indicative of a heightened focus on innovation in the industry, especially in the new categories of dairy alternatives, food manufacturing, future foodtech, and pet food. Twenty-nine finalists, ranging from startups to multinational ingredient manufacturers, were shortlisted. On judging day, 18 November, each finalist was invited to present to the panel, and the judges assessed each nomination behind closed doors to reach a decision.  

Commenting on his experience of this year’s judging process, Prof. Colin Dennis said: “The judges were very impressed by the quantity and quality of the entries across all nine categories of the awards. The entries highlighted how innovation is contributing to the transformation of our food systems. Selecting the shortlist of finalists was more challenging than usual and reflected the current pace of innovation.”

The 2024 winners and ‘highly commended’ entrants were as follows:

• Health Innovation Award: ADM (winner) for its ES1 Bifidobacterium longum CECT 7347 postbiotic, which the judges praised for demonstrating clear health benefits for consumers in multiple food applications; Novonesis (highly commended) for its mood-support probiotic MindAble^TM 1714^TM’.
• Sustainability Innovation Award: AAK (winner) for its entry ‘Empowering women in shea,’ which demonstrated depth and scale of impact across the three sustainability pillars of environmental, societal, and economic; Dossche Mills (highly commended) for its submission ‘Third party verified Terah Standard makes the difference in journey towards 50% carbon reduction in flour’.  
• Plant-based Innovation Award: Avebe (winner) for PerfectaSOL S200, which offers a compelling solution to the key quality challenge of flimsy coatings on plant-based meat and fish products.
• Food Manufacturing Award (NEW): GEA Process Engineering (winner) for its next generation RAY® Plus batch freeze dryers, which open up new opportunities for products and markets due to reduced operating costs and increased efficiencies
• Future Foodtech Innovation Award (NEW): Cargill (winner) for its Indulgence Redefined – Confectionery alternative to chocolate, a collaboration with Voyage Foods. The jury described this as a revolutionary toolkit for generating confectionery alternatives from multiple feed stocks, including waste streams.
• Pet Food Innovation Award (NEW): Cargill (winner) for its low-inclusion TruPet postbiotic, which unlocks gut health and vitality benefits by retaining efficacy through modern pet food processing conditions.
• Dairy Alternative Innovation Award (NEW): Bunge (winner) for Beleaf Plantery – a sustainable, versatile, and unique fat-based system to replace dairy fat; Avebe (highly commended) for PerfectaSOL D600 – a ground-breaking texturiser for plant-based yogurt.
• Sensory Innovation Award: Novonesis (winner) for Novamyl® BestBite – an enzyme system that delivers enhanced sensory quality to baked goods throughout their shelf life.
• Diversity & Inclusion Award: Agronutris (winner) for building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company through transparent shared governance.

Startup challenge: Giving startups the stage

Now in its ninth edition, the Startup Challenge awards programme champions and nurtures new talent, providing a unique platform for young companies to gain exposure to a global audience, attract investment and connect with potential partners. 

The final round of judging took place on 18 November, when finalists presented their innovative ingredients and disruptive foodtech to a panel of expert judges. On 19 November, they were given the opportunity to pitch again – this time in front of the Fi Europe audience live on the show floor at the Innovation Hub. The winners were subsequently announced at a ceremony that took place within the hub. 

The 2024 winners were as follows: 

• Most Innovative Food & Beverage Ingredient: Perfat Technologies
• Most Innovative Plant-Based or Alternative Ingredient: Fabumin
• Most Innovative Service or Digital Solution Supporting the F&B industry: Natural Trace
• Most Innovative Foodtech Solution: Yeastime
• Most Innovative Sustainable Solution (Jury’s Choice award): Akoua