Food competition
Encyclopedia
Food competitions – Drink competitions
Food or drink competitions reward products primarily for their gustative worth in the form of an award or a medal. These competitions can be classified into different categories. Most awards are product-specific such as for wines, beers, and cheeses. Others focus on local, regional, national products. Finally, the international competitions test all kinds of foods and drinks available to the consumer worldwide. Wine is probably the most tested drink followed by beers and spirits.There is a variety of such food/drink competitions worldwide where the taste and quality of products are assessed. Most evaluations are carried out blind sometimes complemented by laboratory analysis. The jury usually consists of a panel of different types of experts in tastings such as Chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
s or Sommeliers. The history of degustation tests is unclear; however, one of the earliest taste awards recorded for drinks is The Brewing Industry International Award dating back to 1888. For food, diet, health and cosmetics, Monde Selection
Monde Selection
Monde Selection, created in 1961, is an international and independent quality institute located in Brussels, that tastes and tests consumer products in order to grant them a renowned Quality Label...
is the oldest insitute recorded. During the last decades, as the variety of food products on the market grew, so did the number of competitions and evaluations.
To cover the expenses of such events (or at least a part of it), most organisations charge an entry fee. Alternatively, producers or retailers pay a fee only if their products are awarded and/or if they decide to communicate about the award (e.g. right to show the award on packaging). In both cases, one could think that these recognitions can be bought. However, that is simply not the case as the tastings are carried-out independently and are blind-tested, where judges focus exclusively on sensory (organoleptic
Organoleptic
Organoleptic is an adjective used to refer to the aspects of food or other substances as experienced by the senses, including taste, sight, smell, and touch.-USDA uses:...
) features (such as taste, olfaction, vision, aspect, mouth-feel, after-taste, etc.) and quality of the products, without being influenced by packaging, branding, marketing or any other parameters.
Product-specific Awards (e.g. Wine, Beer, Cheese)
| Category | Name | Participants | Jury/Judges | Award(s) | Further Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wine | Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Concours Mondial de Bruxelles Concours Mondial de Bruxelles created in 1994, labeled the “wine world-championship” with 6000 participating products from the four continents, these samples represent more than 500 million marketed bottles... |
6,000 wines from four continents | International wine experts and professional tasters like oenologists, sommeliers, journalists, wine writers and international buyers and traders: A total of 240 experts from 40 nations | Each wine gets a mark out of a hundred. A medal is given according to this scheme, depending on the mark, there are different award classes ('Médaille d’Argent', 'Médaille d’Or', 'Grande Médaille d’Or'). The maximum of medals is 30% of the total of the samples presented | Judging criteria follows the model suggested by the OIV International Organisation of Vine and Wine The International Organisation of Vine and Wine is an intergovernmental organization which deals with technical and scientific aspects of viticulture and winemaking. The field of OIV includes grape production for all purposes, i.e... and the International Union of Oenologists. Partner competitions: Concours Mondial Argentina, Concours Mondial Brasil, Concours Mondial Chile, Concours Mondial Uruguay, Concours Mondial de Provence |
| Wine | International Wine Contest International Wine Contest The International Wine Contest of Brussels is organized annually by Monde Selection, an international quality institute. This wine competition is one of the oldest worldwide as it has been established in 1961.- Jury/Judges :... |
Wine producers, dealers and distributors | Eminent experts coming from all over the world. They are selected by Monde Selection for their recognized professional proficiency as: - Oenologists - Sommeliers - Wine experts - Professors and lecturers - Columnists - Wine controllers |
Calculation of the results is made according to the official procedure developed by the O.I.V. and is updated every year accordingly. The sum of all medals awarded may not exceed 30% of the total sum of all the samples presented. |
The only Belgian wine competition that is granted the high patronage of the O.I.V. International Organisation of Vine and Wine The International Organisation of Vine and Wine is an intergovernmental organization which deals with technical and scientific aspects of viticulture and winemaking. The field of OIV includes grape production for all purposes, i.e... , the ‘Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin. Organised by Monde Selection Monde Selection Monde Selection, created in 1961, is an international and independent quality institute located in Brussels, that tastes and tests consumer products in order to grant them a renowned Quality Label... , International Institute for Quality. Acknowledged by the European Union and controlled by the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs |
| Wine/Spirits | International Wine & Spirit Competition IWSC | Producers of wines, spirits and liqueurs | More than 150 judges, sommeliers, traders, producers, writers, consultants and other experts. All judges have to pass a test and their performance is reviewed | Competition based on organoleptic judgement plus further chemical analysis. If the required minimum score is reached, gold, silver and bronze awards are given in each tasting category. Products with the highest mark will be awarded "Best in Class" and are retasted for national and international trophies. |
|
| Beer | World Beer Cup World Beer Cup The World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian.... |
644 breweries from 58 countries and 45 U.S. states with 2,864 beers in 91 beer style categories | 129 judges, mostly from international breweries, from 21 countries | The top three entries in each category win gold, silver and bronze awards. In addition, the competition gives “Champion Brewery” and “Champion Brewer” awards in each of five brewery categories. | |
| Beer | Australian International Beer Awards | 1074 entries from 42 countries | Industry representatives, no numbers mentioned | Here not only taste is awarded, but also “packaging aesthetics“, “product information“, “utility of packaging“. Awards: Gold, Silver, Bronze plus several extra awards in classes like company size, and others. | |
| Beer | The Brewing Industry International Awards | 752 entries in 2005 from breweries in 43 countries | 31 professional and experienced brewers from 17 countries | 9 categories, 25 classes, each with a Gold, Silver & Bronze Award | Since 1888, more about the history here. |
| Cheese | World Cheese Awards 2010 | 2,400 cheeses from all over the world | About 150 judges in 30 teams | 128 Gold, 124 Silver and 131 Bronze awards in 2005 |
Other Wine Competitions:
International Wine Challenge
International Wine Contest of Brussels
San Francisco International Wine Competition
Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition
Sydney International Wine Competition
Other Beer Competitions:
World Beer Awards
European Beer Star
Monde Selection
Golden Tap Awards in Wikipedia: Golden Tap Awards
Golden Tap Awards
The Golden Tap Awards is an annual beer awards event held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The awards are sponsored and presented by , a website and forum dedicated to the discussion and promotion of Toronto's craft and microbrew beer scene....
National/Regional/Local Awards
| Category | Name | Participants | Jury/Judges | Award(s) | Further Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional Award (Wales) | True Taste Wales – Food & Drink Award | More than 340 companies from Wales with more than 900 products in 2008 | Culinary experts including food writers, journalists, TV and industry chefs, food retailers and wholesalers. | 67 Award winners in 2008 | More details in Press release |
| Irish Food Awards (Ireland) | Blas na hÉireann - Irish Food Awards | not specified | Judges are journalists, chefs, producers and grocers | 18 categories with one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze medal for each, plus special awards e.g. Newcomer or Grand Champion | |
| National Award (Cheese) | British Cheese Awards | in 2009, 884 cheeses from 189 cheesemakers | Industry experts like cheese buyers, writers, chefs and food critics | 66 Gold, 100 Silver, 149 Bronze Medals | Only British cheeses from cow, goat, ewe and buffalo milk can enter. Statistics here (pdf) |
| National Food Awards (US) | National Food Awards | Consumers, Social Media Foodies, Food industry followers, tv food show demographics | 22 weeks of voting with 66 food and drink categories | Bi-weekly digi-awards in Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals | 100% popular vote wins! |
Other National/Regional Awards:
Champion Beer Award Britain
Cider & Perry Awards
American Cheese Maker Awards
Swiss Cheese Awards
Awards for internationally branded products
| Category | Name | Participants | Jury/Judges | Award(s) | Further Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| German Organisation | DLG-Award | Mainly German and European products/manufacturers | Judges: trained expert panel with members from the food industry, government, food monitoring services and academia | Different food categories. For each category there’s the Great Award, the Silver Award and the Bronze Award | The Agricultural Society DLG tests 20,000 German and European products each year. Tests on sensory analysis, specific laboratory examinations, and other testing features |
| International Organisation | Superior Taste Award Superior Taste Award The Superior Taste Award is a prize bestowed annually recognising food and beverages with excellent taste and quality. The awards have been granted since 2005 by the International Taste & Quality Institute , seated in Brussels, Belgium.... |
Food/drink products/companies of all sizes from all over the world | Judges are only chefs or sommeliers from most acknowledged European professional organisations like: Maîtres Cuisiniers of France and Belgium, Academy of Culinary Arts, Hellenic Chefs' Association, Académie Culinaire of France, Verband der Köche Deutschlands, Jeunes Restaurateurs d'Europe, Federerazione dei Cuochi Italiana, Portuguese Chefs Association, Årets Kock of Sweden, Euro-Toques and the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI). The tastings are blind and follow the sensory analysis Sensory analysis Sensory analysis is a scientific discipline that applies principles of experimental design and statistical analysis to the use of human senses for the purposes of evaluating consumer products. The discipline requires panels of human assessors, on whom the products are tested, and recording the... rules. |
Products in 270 food and drink categories are tested by the International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi). Depending on judgment marks, the products are granted the Superior Taste Award with one, two or three stars. In addition, iTQi launches a media/internet campaign and provides the winners with a commented report on the tastings with suggestions for improvements of the products from the jury members. | In 2010, 14 per cent of tested products received three stars, 46 per cent received two stars and 17 per cent received one star. |
| International Organisation | Monde Selection Monde Selection Monde Selection, created in 1961, is an international and independent quality institute located in Brussels, that tastes and tests consumer products in order to grant them a renowned Quality Label... |
Type of company: All sizes, local and international Type of products: Spirits & Liqueurs, Beers, Waters & Soft Drinks, Food, Diet & Health, and Cosmetics & Toiletries |
Each product category has its own specialized and independent professional jury. Over 70 scientists, experts, nutrition and health consultants, Sommeliers and Chefs from prestigious culinary organisations collaborate with the Quality Institute. Monde Selection (est. 1961) is the only quality institute evaluating with scientific methodologies in accordance with international health and nutrition regulations (inspired by the European Directives and Regulations). |
According to the average of points, a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Grand Gold Award is granted. | Each year, a three days' celebration is organized in a different European city. Diplomas, Trophies and Awards are handed over at Monde Selection’s annual Closing Ceremony. |
Other international awards:
Great Taste Award
Saveur de l’Année
See also
International Institute for Quality SelectionsWine competition
Wine competition
A wine competition is an organized event in which trained judges or consumers competitively rate different vintages or bands of wine. There are two types of wine competitions, both of which use blind tasting of wine to prevent bias by the judges....
Wine tasting
Wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onwards...
Superior Taste Award
Superior Taste Award
The Superior Taste Award is a prize bestowed annually recognising food and beverages with excellent taste and quality. The awards have been granted since 2005 by the International Taste & Quality Institute , seated in Brussels, Belgium....