Whitworths’ Sunny Raisin Nuggets has scooped the top prize - the Barrow Lane & Ballard trophy - in this year’s Dried Fruit New Product Awards. The company also won the snacking category.
This was the sixth year of the competition, run by the National Dried Fruit Trade Association (NDFTA) to encourage innovation in the use of dried fruit in the NPD sector.
The judges said they were particularly impressed by the range of products submitted.
The ceremony took place as part of the Dried Fruit Ball at the Savoy, and the awards were presented by Julian Hunt, editor of The Grocer, who was also a member of the judging panel.
Head of marketing for Whitworths David Smith, commenting on the company’s success at the awards, said: “We are delighted that Whitworths’ innovation programme has been recognised by the industry.
“We are constantly striving to deliver inspirational snacking food solutions for customers.
“Children love crisps and chocolate, but it is hard to encourage them to eat dried fruit, so we enrobed raisins with chocolate, fruit flavours and sherbet.
“We came up with a healthy snacking alternative and a lunchbox treat- Sunny Raisin Nuggets were born.”
Asda took the prize for best new use of dried vine fruits with its fruit and nut white and dark chocolate mixes.
Other category winners were: Luxury - Farmhouse Fare luxury chocolate pudding; Alternative Lifestyle - Honest Wheat Free Products’ Squares range; Health - Sundora Naturally Organic’s range of figs, dates and apricots; and Convenience - Bar Foods’ pork hock compôte produced for House of Fraser’s World of Food food hall.