Fi Europe 2025 Innovation Awards finalists announced

Fi Europe, the world’s premier food ingredients industry event, has announced the finalists in its 2025 Innovation Awards.

From a record 177 submissions — a 22% increase from last year’s 145 entries — 23 finalists have been selected across six categories.

The 2025 finalists by category are:

Dairy Alternative Innovation Award

• Ajinomoto Foods Europe
  Plant-based cheese: texture is our priority with ACTIVA DA, both on cold cheese and after heating
• LIPIDOS SANTIGA
  Kaolip Duo: innovative milk fat alternative for superior confectionery coatings
• Time-travelling Milkman
  Oleocream
• Lallemand Bio-Ingredients
  Engevita HiPRO Beyond: maximise the protein content in dairy alternative drinks

Food Manufacturing Innovation Award

• Handary
  Hékôn microporous membrane
• Tetra Pak
  Air jet cleaning system for powder handling equipment
• Tetra Pak
  Industrial protein mixer
• Hosokawa Alpine
  Alpine Microburst AMB — redefining fine grinding

Future Foodtech Innovation Award

• Amano Enzyme
  Plants Unlimited: next-generation enzymatic bioprocessing platform revolutionising plant-based food innovation
• AKA Food
  Intelligence platform for application development
• Tetra Pak
  Whole oat beverages lines

Health Innovation Award

• NIZO Food Research
  Gut-brain axis on chip: a novel human assay to assess nutrition-mediated brain health
• Nu-Mega Ingredients
  Gelphorm, a novel DHA emulsion for UHT drinks
• ADM International
  Lactobacillus Gasseri CP2305 for mental health

Plant-based Innovation Award

• RELSUS
  RELSUS Ultra-precise Filtration: redefining plant protein quality for global F&B applications
• ICL Food Specialties
  ROVITARIS SprouTx — a revolutionary textured soy protein
• Handary
  PhosRice – rice bran extracts
• Reborn Biotech
  Clear pea protein: next-generation plant-based protein for clear beverages and functional foods
• Royal Avebe
  Faster drying, sweeter success with PerfectaGEL

Sustainability Innovation Award

• IFF
  CHOOZIT LIFT cultures from IFF: connecting time-honored cheese craft with sustainable innovation
• Saipol
  Empreinte by Saipol: low carbon oils for a regenerative shift in food industry sourcing—from field to fork
• ADM
  Building supply chain resiliency: ADM’s regenerative agriculture collaborations across Europe
• ofi
  ofi — driving industry impact through Cocoa Compass

The shortlisted entries were evaluated by a panel of eleven industry experts, led by Professor Colin Dennis, chair board of trustees at IFIS Ltd.

All finalists will present in person on 1 December with winners revealed at the Fi Europe Celebration and Awards ceremony on 2 December, which also celebrates the event’s 30th edition. Tickets are available.