Canadian Retailer - Store 2013 - 60

STORE 2013 GRAND PRIX AWARDS

GROCERY INDUSTRY HONOURS ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

RCC Gala Celebrates 20th
Annual Canadian Grand Prix
New Product Awards
BY STUART FOXMAN
TIDE® PODS™ from Procter & Gamble Inc. was the big winner

the manufacturer’s name.
at the 20th annual Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards,
The panel scored the entries for uniqueness
presented by Retail Council of Canada (RCC).
and innovation, product characteristics, presThe awards program recognizes the top new food and non-food entation and packaging, overall consumer
products—for national and regional brands, as well as private value, and consumer acceptance. The winners
labels—across 25 categories. There are also ﬁve special awards.
emerged from the 127 ﬁnalists, which each
This year’s gala, hosted by Ben Mulroney, was held June 5 scored at least 70 per cent in judging.
at the Toronto Congress Centre as part of RCC’s 2013 STORE
Overall, Procter & Gamble won four awards—
Conference. Tide Pods won best new Household Product, as three for Tide Pods, plus the Personal Care catwell as two special awards for best Innovation and Originality, egory for Tampax Radiant Tampons. Canada
and most Innovative Packaging.
Safeway was next with awards for three private
Tide used a revolutionary three-chamber technology to label products: Edwards Coffee, 326 g (Bevercombine laundry detergent, stain remover and a brightener in age), Debi Lilly Savoy Candle (Non-Food), and
one compact pod.
Safeway Tuna, 170 g (Prepared Food & Entrée).
Two other products earned multiple awards.
Country Harvest™ 100% Whole Grain Bread, from “I’m more impressed every year with the R&D
Weston Bakeries Limited, won the Grand Prix that goes into the products. These aren’t small
Award in the Bakery category, and was also named improvements, but big changes in everything
All-Canadian New Product of the Year.
from flavour profiles to sustainable practices.”
Vita-D™ Sunshine Eggs, from Vitala Foods, was
— MARCUS VON ALBRECHT
tops in the Deli, Egg, Meat & Seafood category, and
Mava Foods
captured the Healthy Innovation Award. It’s billed
as the world’s ﬁrst egg to contain 100 per cent of the
daily value of vitamin D, based on three years of R&D using a
Two other companies won for multiple prodproprietary plant source.
ucts. Metro Richelieu took private label awards
The other special award for Consumer Acceptance (house- in the Confectionery, Snack & Dessert category
hold penetration rate of a product) went to iögo™ Nano—Drink- for Irresistibles Dark Chocolate Covered Caraable Yogurt from Ultima Foods Inc.
mels with sea salt, and in the Bakery category for
“In retail, one key to success is investing in new product de- Fresh 2 Go Toscana Focaccia. S. C. Johnson and
velopment,” says Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of RCC. Son won in the General Merchandise category
“The ability to surprise and delight, to reinvent and respond, is for OFF! Clip-on™, and in the Paper, Plastic & Foil
at the core of any vibrant retail sector. Grocery manufacturers category for Ziploc® Brand Perfect Portions.
and distributors are certainly at the forefront.”
The Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards were judged Winners demonstrate more natural feel
RCC has presented the Canadian Grand
by a 32-member panel, representing consumers, media, disPrix New Product Awards for three years, after
tributors, award sponsors, and students.
The jury gathered in February at the Institut de tourisme et the Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors
d’hôtellerie du Québec in Montreal to evaluate the food and ran it for the ﬁrst 17 years. The products have
private label products. They assessed the non-food products shown increasing innovation over the years,
says jury chair Marcus Von Albrecht, who has
in their own homes over six weeks.
To make the judging as impartial as possible, food products been involved in the judging for 18 of the comcame out to the panel prepared this year. That way, the jury could petition’s 20 years.
“I’m more impressed every year with the
get an impression before they ever saw the packaging or learned

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