New Zealand’s most innovative food and beverage producers are being invited to enter the 2025 New Zealand Food Awards. 

For more than 35 years, the New Zealand Food Awards, owned and operated by Massey University, have celebrated excellence, innovation and sustainability across the nation’s food and beverage sector.

The Awards showcase the full range of the industry, including fast-moving consumer goods, ingredient suppliers, primary producers, artisan creators and everything in between.

Professor Ray Geor, Chair of the New Zealand Food Awards Governance Board and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey’s College of Sciences, says the awards are an important celebration of Kiwi technology and innovation, and New Zealand’s leadership in developing healthy and sustainable foods.

“As a nation of primary producers, that supplies much of the world with our various products, the New Zealand Food Awards plays a critical role in showcasing and highlighting local leaders, global brands and important food advancements.

“Massey has long been the home of food technology teaching, research and industry partnerships in New Zealand. Our record in supporting and contributing to growing the NZ food industry places us front and centre to recognise and celebrate the leaders, both large and small, in the food and beverage sector.

“Food technology is not science fiction; it has a pivotal role in ensuring the food that we produce and eat supports the health of our people, communities and environment. New Zealand’s legacy of food innovation is not celebrated in its country of origin as much as it should be, in some ways our innovation is better understood by those we export to. There is a need for us to better recognise the scientists, creators, developers and manufacturers that work on food products. These people are not household names – but their work is familiar to every single one of us, and we use their innovations every day.”

This year’s Awards include 12 categories, recognising the products as well as the people behind the innovation and excellence.

Three new categories include Ingredient and Food Service, for ingredients or partially prepared food materials developed for the manufacturing or food service industries.

People Awards which celebrate the vital role of food scientists, technologists and developers in shaping the future of food features two new awards: Emerging Talent: Food Science and Technology and Food Technologist or Developer of the Year.

The Massey University Supreme Winner will be announced at the Gala Dinner on 16 October and will be selected from the winners across the Product Award categories, excluding the Product Lifetime Achievement Award, which is appointed by judge’s selection.

The New Zealand Food Awards appoints a panel of over 30 of the country’s leading food and beverage experts as judges. The judges represent a diverse cross-section of industry disciplines including technical judges, sustainability and commercial specialists, compliance checks, scientific experts, regulatory guides and more.

2025 categories

Product Awards

• • • Artisan
    • Beverage
    • Chilled/Frozen
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Ingredient and Food Service
    • Pantry
    • Primary Sector
    • Product Lifetime Achievement
    • Technical Innovation

People Awards

• • • Emerging Talent Food Science and Technology
    • Food Technologist/Developer

Key dates

1 May – Entries open

30 May – Entries close

23 – 27 June – Judging week

12 August – Finalists announced

16 October – Gala dinner and winners announced, Central Energy Trust Arena, Palmerston North, 7pm – 11.30pm

Find out more about the New Zealand Food Awards here.

Source: Massey University