Vancouver, BC – Western Canada’s largest grocery exhibition and conference, the Grocery & Specialty Food West (GSFW), returned for the 28th year to the Vancouver Convention Centre (East) on March 20 for day one of its two-day conference and exhibition program. As an industry that impacts every household’s day-to-day decisions, the grocery show attracts more than 2,200 grocery thought-leaders and more than 165 exhibitors who convene for discussions about innovations, trends and how the future of the grocery industry are expected to impact habits in the years to come. In addition to keynote sessions from consumer marketing experts on topics of consumption power and trends, the GSFW included a Top 10 Most Innovative Productjudging session that featured local food experts who anonymously ev aluated a series of products from the New Product Showcase, based on criteria including: packaging, overall innovation, originality and (use) benefit. Winners of Top 10 Most Innovative Products in 2017 (listed in no particular order):
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Oasis Hydrafruit & Oasis Infusion (A Lassonde Inc.)
- First low-calorie fruit beverage made from spring water with no added sweeteners.
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Flavoured Caramel (Bad Duck Caramel)
- Simplicity is best. Made with three ingredients: butter, sugar and milk.
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Assorted Nut Oils (Bosa Foods)
- From pistachio to hazelnut and walnut, there’s an oil for every recipe.
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Egg Creations (Brunbrae Farms)
- Simply shake, pour and heat. Six flavours to choose from for every meal.
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Freeze-Dried Pet Products (Canature Processing)
- Light-weight. Maximized nutrition for your pet with no artificial additives.
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Assorted Artisan Cheese Dips (Chef Pieter Inc.)
- Made locally using the finest and freshest ingredients, organic when possible.
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Sahara Delights (Rivale International)
- Freshly steamed dates made into an assortment of products like date spreads and date vinegar.
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Gourmet Jams & Unique Spicy Jellies (Saunders Family Farm)
- Tastes like how grandma used to make jellies and jams.
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Ethical Bean Compostable Pods (Ethical Bean Coffee; Distributed by Tree of Life)
- Zero waste, 100% compostable.
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Shelf Buddy (Brencar)
- A portable, magnetic game-changing stand for grocery store shelves.
This year’s show, one of the largest yet, opens the door for the future, and illustrates how important this industry is to Canadians. Due to growing demand, next year’s GSFW show will be even bigger, when it moves to the Vancouver Convention Centre (WEST) on April 23-24, 2018. Save-the-date for more information to come.