Retail Council of Canada (RCC) has revealed the 100 finalists competing for the coveted Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards. These grocery products are the most impressive of all the new grocery products introduced in the year 2016. Winners will be announced at the Gala on May 31, 2017 following the second day of RCC’s STORE Conference, and tickets are still available.

“Every year the benchmark for delivering on new product excellence increases. This year it was great to see both the industry’s amazing capacity to create products that satisfy the demands of grocery shoppers and that this innovation is being so successfully realized by new product entries from across the country,” said Diane J. Brisebois, President and CEO of RCC.

This year, entrants and judges were from across Canada, making the 24th annual Canadian Grand Prix a true reflection of “the best of the best” from coast to coast. Especially strong this year was new participation from Western Canada that included Save-On-Foods and Federated Co-op, and non-traditional grocers like Costco, PetSmart and Rexall.

Becoming a Canadian Grand Prix finalist can be a game changing experience for new products. Finalists receive direct and extensive exposure to key retailers, their buyers as well as consumers eager to try the celebrated new items getting all the attention and accolades.

To ensure products were evaluated exclusively on quality and innovation, new to this year’s assessment was that all products introduced in 2016 had an equal chance of becoming finalists, regardless of when in the year they were introduced and the size of their distribution.

Jury chair and celebrated chef Marcus Von Albrecht notes that this year, “the ingredient list is clearer with removal of preservatives. Manufacturers are becoming more creative in their packaging to ensure their product is the freshest and fullest in nutrition it can be.”

To become a finalist, a product needed to score at least 70% in judging.

Finalists and winners can use the Canadian Grand Prix logo on their packaging for two years. RCC also supports the awards with extensive consumer and trade support in Canadian Retailer.

To view a complete list of finalists, visit: http://www.rccgrandprix.ca/content/2016-finalists

The winners of the 24th annual Canadian Grand Prix Awards will be announced at the Gala on May 31, 2017 following the second day of Retail Council of Canada’s STORE Conference, Canada's Biggest Retail Conference. To purchase tickets, visit: rccgrandprix.ca/gala-tickets

*RCC’s Grocery Division represents Canada’s largest grocery retailers, encompassing over 90% of all grocery sales. It is a source of information, advice and expertise on all matters affecting food retail, including food safety and recall, labelling, nutrition, health and wellness, product packaging, supply chain issues and environmental stewardship.

Canadian Retail News From Around The Web: May 1, 2017