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 (iTQi)^[1], seated in Brussels (Belgium). The objectives of the Award are to raise consumers’ awareness of taste and to promote good-tasting products.

Eligible Products

All food and drink products that are available in stores are eligible to participate in the testing. Products are submitted by companies of all sizes, from small manufacturers to large international companies from more than 80 countries.

Jury

The foods and drinks are tested by selected European Chefs and Sommeliers, as they have an unmatched expertise in tastings. The International Taste & Quality Institute works together with Sommeliers from the “Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI)” and with Chefs from the following European organisations:

Testing

Products are submitted online by the producers until the deadline for the annual submission at the beginning of March. All jury members meet in Brussels to test the products on a strictly blind basis. There is one evaluation for foods with a jury of Chefs and a second one for beverages with a jury of Sommeliers.

Each product, classified in one of 270 categories, is tested for its own gustative merits without being compared. Foods and drinks are prepared/cooked and presented as instructed by the manufacturer. Each product is then tested by at least 15 judges. The judges test each product with a sensory/organoleptic analysis. For such analysis, there are five criteria measured and commented on separately:

first/overall impression
taste/smell/aroma
visual
texture/consistency
after taste/retro-olfaction

A numeric score is given for each criteria as well as a comment justifying the grade. All the scores are compiled with taste and overall impression having a higher weight. With the final result, all participating manufacturers receive a report with the analysis, comments and further suggestions about their product.

The Awards

All products with a minimum score of 70% are awarded in the following way:

One star with a score between 70% and 80%: Products are awarded for “Good Taste“
Two stars with a score between 80% and 90%: products are awarded as “Remarkable“
Three stars with a score of 90% and above: products are awarded as “Exceptional“

Award Ceremony

After the announcement of the winners in early spring, the presentation of the awards takes place during the annual Awards Ceremony in May or June. This event is attended by the winners, diplomats, officials and the international press.

References

^ International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi)

External links

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS206901+11-Jun-2008+MW20080611
http://www.foodbev.com/articledetail.aspx?contentId=1055
http://www.attiki-pittas.gr/index.asp?a_id=118&news_id=64
http://www.kypreos.com/CretanVitality/superior_taste.htm

[1] International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi)

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