taste09: The Innovation Competition at Anuga 2009

Chicago, IL – Cologne, Germany

taste09 — the innovation competition at Anuga — presents products not only for the trade but also for the foodservice and catering market and new sales hannels. The products selected by the jury will reflect the main trends in the food business and serve as a guide for trend scouts.

Anuga 2009 runs Oct. 10 to 14 in the prominent Koelnmesse Convention Center in Cologne, Germany. Unlike any other trade show, Anuga’s unique concept of featuring 10 specialized trade show segments in one location has been highly successful in matching exhibitors with their right target audience.

This will be the fourth time that this taste innovation competition has been a part Anuga. New products and innovations are key drivers of growth in the food business, and they will therefore be an important highlight at the sector’s largest and most important trade fair. taste09, the innovation platform of Anuga, presents the best and most innovative products and makes them accessible to a specialist public of 60,000 buyers from across the world. Exhibitors at Anuga 2009 can apply to participate by submitting their innovations and trend products online on the website at www.anuga.de (www.anuga.com). The deadline for submissions is August 31, 2009.

In 2007, nearly 500 exhibiting companies participated, submitting nearly 1,100 ideas. In the end, the jury selected 61 products and concepts that stood out from the est. The taste09 jury utilizes very diverse criteria for the selection process. A new, riginal recipe (or one that has been rediscovered) can be a reason for selecting a particular product. Packaging is another key element in successful sales and marketing, and the taste09 jury also strongly considers aspects such as consumer and environmental friendliness, appearance, convenience and originality. Successful implementation of a current trend — especially in a way that focuses on a target group — can also impress the jury. The criteria used to judge technical products from Anuga RetailTec and Anuga CateringTec include user-friendliness, cost savings, quality improvement and successful visual design.

Although not all the products manage to get on the shelves of the supermarkets or in the cooking pots of the chefs, innovations are still a particularly good way to energize business. The drivers of innovation include the desire for greater convenience when preparing food, increased health consciousness, growing mobility, more frequent meals outside the home, and increased awareness of environmental and sustainability issues.

For more information on exhibiting at Anuga, contact Veronica Woods at 773/326-9922, or visit anuga.koelnmessenafta.com or www.anuga.com