Congratulations to the 2021 Winners!
On March 15, 2021, the jury committee announced the winners of the 2021 A.A. Taste Awards on the official website. Owing to the impact of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers had no choice but to break the tradition of holding large-scale awards ceremonies. However, food and catering establishments from all over the world were undeterred and still actively participated in the premier gastronomic event of the year. The list of 745 winners includes many well-known catering establishments in both Asian and Western countries such as Walkers (Great Britain), Bonne Maman (France), KANKYO Distillery (Japan), and Mountain and Sea House Restaurant (Taiwan), demonstrating the determination of food catering industries to continue to develop additive-free foods.
With the increasing emphasis on health-conscious diets, the catering industry is also trying to highlight its brand value by obtaining the recognition and prestige conferred by being awarded the A.A. Taste Awards through a careful selection process.
The European awardees include Bonne Maman, a jam brand owned by French food giant Andros; Inés Rosales, a century-old handmade biscuit brand from Spain; BERTOLLI, a global leader in olive oil; Gocciole, a well-known Italian biscuit brand; and Walkers which makes classic shortbread in Scotland. In New Zealand and Australia, awardees include Sydney’s number one ice cream brand Gelato Messina; well-known restaurant operator Merivale; and New Zealand’s largest snack food manufacturer Bluebird. In Asia, the list includes pure sesame oil from the century-old establishment Kuki Yamashichi, Japan's best mirin producer KANKYO Distillery. Taiwanese awardees include Michelin-star restaurant Mountain and Sea House, Mark's Teppanyaki from Taipei Marriott Hotel, Ninao Gelato and Namchow Group frozen cooked noodles.
A total of 183 establishments were awarded the Special Jury Awards, A year-on-year growth of 4.5% compared to 2020’s 175 establishments. This growth indicates the anticipated uptick in choices for healthy food products.
The concept of additive-free food products has gained traction in recent years. The Anti Additive Clean Label Organization, which was founded in the Netherlands, has held the A.A. Taste Awards since 2014. It encourages and is committed to assisting more industry players with similar concepts towards offering healthier additive-free products. Its philosophy and selection criteria are considered among the four major gourmet awards in the catering industry, including Monde Selection, iTQi and Great Taste. The number of countries participating in the A.A. Taste Awards has continued to break records. This year, 57 countries are participating in the selection, with thousands of outstanding works submitted.
The organizer, the Anti Additive Clean Label Organization, emphasizes that the award-winning works need to be delicious and contain less or no artificial products in preparation. Contestants are encouraged to adhere to traditional food preparation processes to stand a higher chance of being recognized by the A.A.Taste Awards.
