London, UK – The World Food Awards 2009 (WFA) is proud to announce its nominations ahead of the inaugural awards ceremony on Saturday 31st October at London’s Park Lane Hilton.
Nominees this year include big name brands like Tesco and ASDA in the Best National Retailer category, as well as established ethnic brands like Veetee and Kohinoor for Best Packaging. Levi Root’s Reggae Reggae Sauce, of Dragon’s Den fame, has made the list for Best New Product, while world food industry veterans Meena and Kirit Pathak OBE and Sir Gulam Noon MBE are among those up for the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award.
Nominations are:
World Food Award 2009 – Best New Product
Ashoka Olive Oil Pickles, ADF Foods Ltd
Jamaican Patties, Caribbean Savouries Ltd/Caribbean Food Delights
Levi Root – Reggae Reggae Sauce
World Food Award 2009 – Best Packaging
Aisha’s Original Recipe, Halal Range, Cofresh
Kohinoor Basmati Rice Bags, Indo European Foods Ltd
Veetee Dine In, Veetee Rice Ltd
World Food Award 2009 – Best Marketing Campaign
Heera Chappati Flour, P & B Foods
Reggae Reggae Subway
Wanchai Ferry, General Mills UK
World Food Award 2009 – Best Wholesaler
Donatantonio
Hyperama Wholesale
Wanis
World Food Award 2009 – Best Catering Supplier
3663
Eurofoods Group Ltd
JJ Food Service Ltd
World Food Award 2009 – Restaurant of the Year
The Cinnamon Club
Haandi
Haozhan
World Food Award 2009 – Best Independent Retailer
Quality Foods
Sira Cash Carry, Southall
V B & Sons
World Food Award 2009 – Best National Retailer
ASDA
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
World Food Award 2009 – Top National Account Manager
Saj Noray, Cofresh Snack Foods Ltd
Yonas Tekle, Shana Foods Ltd
Zaff Khan of J K Foods Ltd
World Food – Lifetime Achievement Award
Meena K Pathak OBE & Kirit K Pathak OBE
Sir Gulam Noon MBE
Terry Butcher, Westmill Foods
Currently busy deliberating the winners, this year’s high-profile judging panel comprise of celebrity chefs Ainsley Harriott and Anjum Anand; David Moore, of BBC’s The Restaurant; Simon Numphud, Head of AA Services; Tony Matharu, Managing Director of Grange Hotels; Humayun Hussain, Editor of Tandoori Magazine; Kirti Mistry of BNP Paribas Fortis Bank and David Jago of Mintel.
Harry Dulai, of Surya Foods, co-organisers of the event with Sony Entertainment Television (SET) Asia said: "World food is a thriving industry that has been identified as one of the fastest growing areas within the UK retail market. We felt it was the right time for this industry to have its own awards ceremony to recognise and celebrate the talents of the people who work within it.
"Our aim is to ensure that the ethnic food industry is recognised as an important sector within the UK food market and to move away from the ‘corner shop’ mentality that is often associated with it. This is simply not the case. World food is now a thriving and fast-paced industry that is crossing over into mainstream markets and we are proud to be working with Sony on this event."
The World Food Awards 2009 will be broadcast on SET Asia in over 100 countries to an audience of millions. Sponsors include ASDA, Tesco, HSBC, Rubicon, Shana Foods, Shazan Food, Cofresh, Fantasia Advertising and Supermalt. The World Foods Association represents the interests of UK companies operating in the ethnic foodservice markets, covering Asian, Oriental, Afro-Caribbean, East-European, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean products.
Visit www.worldfoodawards.com for more details.