Building on the RASV’s Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards, the Australian Food Awards is a new national program that aims to celebrate leading fine food producers.
The program will include eight categories: Dairy, Meat, Poultry, Seafood, Fresh Produce, Grains and Pulses, Pantry Goods and Convenience Foods.
“The eight categories incorporate the Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards’ former 16 categories whilst expanding the program offering to introduce new categories that reflect growing consumer food trends, such as ready to eat and prepared meals in the Convenience Foods category, truffles in the Fresh Produce category and goat and pork in the Meat category,” said RASV CEO, Mark O’Sullivan.
Entries will open in May and more than 100 industry leaders will judge the categories from 7 to 22 July. Due to seasonality, judging for Olive Oil will take place in August, with a further seasonal judging program in February.
All producers who enter the Australian Food Awards will be able to attend exclusive exhibitor tasting events following the judging period, where they will be able to taste fellow entrants’ products.
Medal winning producers will be eligible to win major awards presented at the Australian Food Awards Gala Presentation Dinner in September, including new trophies for overall Category Champions, Champion Organic Produce/Product, overall Small, Medium and Large Champion Producer as well as the Champion Australian Produce/Product award.
Products that are consistently awarded a gold medal for three years or more will also be eligible to receive a Consistency of Excellence Medal.
Entries for the 2016 Australian Food Awards open on 24 May. Producers can enter here.
