This year’s tasting and testing days for PLMA’s International Salute to Excellence Awards have taken place. Spoiler alert: yes, there were some very innovative products. In two days, more than 500 food and non-food products were evaluated by two international panels of professional judges on several criteria, including taste, product concept, packaging, and value for money. Submissions came from over 70 retailers from 23 countries around the world and included food, beverages, home and household, health and beauty and pet categories.
The private label wine category had its own separate tasting sessions. Under guidance of Master of Wine Cees van Casteren, two panels of wine experts tasted some 130 wines divided in about twenty categories. From sparkling whites and roses through classic wines to organic, judges rolled the wine, smelled it, looked at it, tasted, and scored it on concentration, complexity, length and balance.
Started in 2014, PLMA’s International Salute to Excellence Awards honour retailers for innovation and quality in the creation of their private label programmes. The 2024 Award winners will be announced at the Pre-Show Seminars on Monday 27 May. The winning products will be displayed at the Idea Supermarket Area during the World of Private Label International trade show on 28 and 29 May.