The NatureMade Food & Drink Awards are open to entries from food and drink brands which champion natural ingredients – and steer clear of ultra processed ingredients.
Founded by food industry veteran Pip Martin, from Norwich, the awards recognise outstanding flavour, sustainable practices and responsible nutrition.
With a career spanning 5-star hotels in the US and senior roles at Harrods Food Hall, Pip launched food & drink events company Tasting Quarter in 2003. Mindful of the sample waste often seen in awards programmes, Pip has designed a low-impact, sustainability-first format for the awards to make best use of the products sent in by brands.
He has also worked for Richard Branson’s UK-based online wine merchant, Virgin Wines, and presented wine tastings on Sky One’s Taste programme and BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen. Writing credits include wine articles for Condé Nast’s Gourmet Travel and Esquire.
Mindful of the sample waste often seen in awards programmes, Pip has designed a low-impact, sustainability-first format for the awards to make best use of the products sent in by brands.
Unlike other food and drink competitions, samples provided for the awards will be tasted by judges first and then consumers to minimise waste.
Judging will take place during the day, followed by a public ticketed tasting event in the evening at Mosimann’s dining club, in London.
Inspired by Chris van Tulleken’s book Ultra Processed People, Pip explains: “I felt it was crazy that there was no awards competition devoted to food and drink that is ultra-processed-free.
“I also wanted to set up a sustainability-led competition for my children’s generation, and to be part of the change for a better food and drink future.”
The distinguished panel of experts include: head judge Angela Clutton, award-winning food writer, cook and presenter, and co-director of the British Library’s Food Season; Jenna Mosimann, CEO of RaisingNutrition, an expert in nutritional science and public health; and sustainability consultant Mark Driscoll, founder of Tasting The Future, who has over 25 years’ experience advising leading organisations on sustainable food systems.
“We’re at a turning point where consumers are more conscious than ever about what goes into their food and drink,” Pip added.
“These awards will not only celebrate brands that prioritise natural ingredients and sustainability but also help drive meaningful conversations around the future of food and drink production.”
Eligibility criteria
Products must:
- Not be airfreighted.
- Be GMO-free.
- Be free from pesticides banned for outdoor use in the UK and EU, including clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam.
- Be packaged with materials that are at least 80% by weight recyclable, biodegradable, or compostable.
- Not contain palm oil or soya sourced from lands deforested within the last 5 years or contain palm oil or soya certified as sustainably sourced (e.g., through the Roundtable for Responsible Palm Oil or the Roundtable for Responsible Soya).
- Be made with ingredients you know the origin of – either where they’re grown or who supplies them.
Pip and his team are seeking sponsorship partners, particularly from organisations aligned with green finance, ESG investment, eco-packaging, and sustainability-focused food and drink brands.
Entries for The NatureMade Food & Drink Awards are open until 31 July. For more information on how to enter, attend, or explore sponsorship opportunities, read here.
