GREAT Taste, the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme organised by the Guild of Fine Food, has opened for entries once again.
Dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of the food & drink world, the Great Taste accreditation scheme allows food and drink producers to put their products to the test with a panel of over 500 experts, a quick and cost-effective way to get honest, straightforward market feedback from chefs, buyers, food retailers, restaurateurs, producers, and food writers.
Every year, over 14,000 products from more than 100 countries around the world are put forward and judged entirely on taste, with on average only 35% going on to win a 1-, 2- or 3-star award; a logo which is becoming increasingly known amongst UK adults, with 55% saying it would persuade them to buy a product[i].
John Farrand, managing director of the Guild of Fine Food, commented: “Another year of Great Taste has begun, what an exciting time. We look forward to starting the process once more and discovering a roster of great tasting and inspirational products on our judging tables.
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“Put your food or drink in front of our panel; every entry receives invaluable feedback from a world class array of industry experts which can be used to shape product development. Don’t hang around, entries close 7 February.”
Key dates:
· Entries open: now via https://gff.co.uk/greattaste
· Entries close: 7 February 2023, midday (GMT)
· Judging: mid-March – mid-June 2023
· Entrants results and feedback: 1 August 2023, 10am
· Public results: 1 August 2023, 2pm available on www.greattasteawards.co.uk
· Great Taste Golden Forks award ceremony & tasting: September 2023
Pricing:
· Company turnover: less than £1m – £68 per product (+VAT)
· Company turnover: £1m – £5m – £105 per product (+VAT)
· Company turnover: more than £5m – £145 per product (+VAT)
· Supermarket own label products – £270 per product (+VAT)
What can Great Taste do for producers?
Great Taste aims to create a level playing field where small independent food and drink producers can access valuable feedback and winners can benefit from exposure on a local, national, and international scale. Past award winners have reported substantial increases in brand awareness and sales, as well as initiating introductions with key retailers and distributors.
Jacob Thundil from sauce brand Sözye said: “For a young brand like ours, winning Great Taste awards boosts awareness among foodie consumers and retailers. On shelf it differentiates us from the competition. Of course we were chuffed to win the stars, but the tasting notes provided by the judges were so valuable and pin-pointed the areas we needed to improve. We broke down each comment and worked on them one at a time to improve all of our sauces. The rest is history – we won two Golden Forks and two 3-stars.”
What is Great Taste?
Recognised as a stamp of excellence and actively sought out by food lovers and retailers alike, Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, values taste above all else. All products in the line-up for judging are blind tasted: every product is removed from its packaging so it cannot be identified, before entering a robust, layered judging process.
How does it work?
A truly international competition, Great Taste has a rigorous judging process, with comprehensive blind taste-testing of over 14,000 food and drink products from over 100 different countries across the world, taking place over 90 days in both the Dorset and London judging venues, by a rotating panel of industry experts.
Great Taste’s prestigious judging panel is made up of over 500 food & drink professionals, including chefs, buyers, food retailers, restaurateurs, producers, and food writers. Every product is assessed purely on taste, and regardless of whether it wins an award, is given written feedback by the panel of esteemed judges.
The full list of last year’s winners and where to buy them can be found atwww.greattasteawards.co.uk and a wide range of the award-winning products are available to buy in delis, farm shops and independent retail outlets across the country.
