QUALITY OF KIWI FOOD CONTINUES TO GROW AS ONZFPA MEDAL WINNERS ANNOUNCED

In what has been hailed as ‘the most exciting year of the Awards to date’  218 medal winners have been recognised this year’s Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards.

Winners span the length of Aotearoa from Northland to Southland and its breadth, from the West Coast over to the Chatham Islands. Additionally they represent a vast range of locally harvest, grown and made foods including mushrooms, meat, preserves, drinks, ice cream and sweets. Results follow two days of judging at Homeland in Auckland earlier in May.

Seventy-one percent of all of the more than 300 entries received an accolade with 78 Gold Medals, 86 Silver Medals and 56 Bronze Medals awarded.

Reflecting on this year’s medal-winners, Head Judge Lauraine Jacobs said; “2022 has been the most exciting year for the Awards to date. Each year has seen not only growth in the number of entries, but the quality of the food products continues to rise and rise in every category.

Of course this makes the judges’ task harder! But, fortuitously it becomes a source of endless discovery and delight. As the expert judging team this year tasted their way through the more than 300 submitted products over the two days, there were many squeals of surprise at the incredible flavours and the wide range of noted innovative and traditional entries. 

The awards judging process sets a high bar and there were many products, especially when fresh and straight from the farm or ocean, where the judges felt the growers and farmers had actually reached perfection. Thus we have a large number of Gold medal winners, along with many more that were awarded Silver or Bronze for their high scores. 

She concluded saying; “Consumers who seek the very best can be absolutely reassured that any product displaying any of the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards medals are guaranteed to be high quality and more importantly, delicious.”

From its first year in 2017, one element which has set the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards apart is that each entry is assessed for sustainability with these marks contributing to the final score along with points from tasting and brand story.

Sustainability judge Fiona Stephenson noted, “Overall I’m impressed with the progression of sustainability over the three years I’ve been judging. It’s rare now to see an entry where sustainability is not taken seriously, it seems there is genuine commitment to sustainability across almost all the products entered – it’s fantastic to see.”

Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards organisers Kathie Bartley and Nicola McConnell encouraged Kiwi food lovers to seek out for winning produce which they’ll recognise by distinctive Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals. “These medals are consumers’ guarantee that product is harvested, grown or made in Aotearoa and it’s been assessed by experts who recognise it as one the best”, Kathie said.

This year’s Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards judging panel was; Sam Borgfeldt (drinks consultant) Tracey Berno (Associate Professor in Culinary Arts at AUT University); Gemma Bowman (Farro, chilled category manager); Connie Clarkson (restaurateur, food writer and head of business at Homeland); BJ Sebastian (Executive Chef Mudbrick Restaurant); Lucy Corry (food writer and award-winning cook book author); Kimberley Dixon (editor of Hospitality Business); Ginny Grant; (food writer and food judge) Lynda Hallinan (journalist and broadcaster); Des Harris (restaurant consultant); John Kelleher (AUT programme leader, Diploma in Culinary Arts and Diploma in Patisserie); Emily King (director of Spira, sustainability judge); Anna King Shahab (food writer and food judge); Mat Mclean (executive chef and owner of Palate); Jackie Matthews (food judge); Kathy Paterson (cook book author and food writer); Jonathon Robertson (Farro, grocery category manager); Fiona Smith (food writer and food judge); Fiona Stephenson (Sustainable Business Network, sustainability judge); Kerry Tyack (experienced food judge), Lorna Subritzky (Coast daytime host and foodie) and Maggie Wickes (Food Editor for NZME's Be Well and eatwell.co.nz).

Gold, Medal winners are in consideration for the Champions and Special Awards winners which will be announced at the Champions Party 2021 on Tuesday 21 June at Mantells Tamaki Drive in Auckland. 

The complete list of Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards 2022 medal winners is here.