Italian Food Awards USA 2024: the winners

Discover the most innovative Italian food products launched in the USA, presented during the ongoing Summer Fancy Food Show in New York during the award ceremony organized by Italianfood.net

The Italian food innovation is once again the protagonist at the Summer Fancy Food Show, the American largest trade show dedicated to the food sector.

Italianfood.net, the Food Group’s international project, organized the sixth edition of the Italian Food Awards USA, dedicated to the most innovative Italian F&B products launched in the past two years. The Italian Food Awards USA 2024 are intended to highlight the innovative food products that better respond to the growing demand for imported food in the U.S. market.

The Italian Food Awards is also intended to help U.S. retail and food service operators discover the still untapped value of the authentic Italian food industry. All the more significant now, as Italian cuisine is under consideration for UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

ITALIAN FOOD EXPORTS BY THE NUMBERS

Italian Food & Beverage exports to the USA amounted to €6.8 billion out of a total of €64 billion in 2023. In the first four months of 2024, sales in the American market surged by over 18% compared to the previous year. The USA is Italy’s third-largest destination for food exports and the leading market outside the EU.

Read our special issue Top new Italian Food products USA 2024

ITALIAN FOOD AWARDS 2024: THE SELECTION CRITERIA

Italianfood.net selected the most innovative Italian products amongst all nominations. All products were evaluated through a two-step process:

The Jury of Experts’ Vote: a panel of internationally prominent retailers, chefs, and professional operators in the food service channel expressed their unique preference through voting, which will count for 70% of the final ranking.
Sales Performance: the remaining 30% of the final ranking was determined by analyzing sales performances in the U.S. market for each nominated product for the Italian Food Awards USA.

THE JURY OF EXPERTS

Twelve professionals from the international food business community were called upon to express their preferences: chefs, retailers, restaurateurs, importers, and distributors from all over the world were part of the Special Jury of Experts. They are Amanda Kennedy, Cathy Gaffney, Fabrizio Facchini, Cathy Strange, Emilio Mignucci, Emily Murphy, JD Campbell, Jill Picchione, Justin Teten, Pamela Hild, Susan Guerin, Vincent Grispino, Deborah Jones, and Robertino Presta.

THE AWARDING CEREMONY

The awarding ceremony was held yesterday and saw a renewed partnership with Universal Marketing, the exclusive agent organizing the Italian Pavilion, and a new collaboration with the NIQ research firm.

The ceremony opened with remarks by Phil Robinson, senior vice president of the Specialty Food Association, and Erica Di Giovancarlo, new commissioner of Italian trade in the United States. Culinary icon Lidia Bastianich drew from her life experience to illustrate the journey since she arrived in the USA over 60 years ago, highlighting how far “Italian food has come to be highly valued by American consumers today for its versatility and healthfulness.”

Food Group’s editorial team also conferred four lifetime-achievement awards to:

Donato Cinelli, CEO of Universal Marketing
Tommaso Brusò, CEO of Eataly
Cathy Strange, Ambassador of food culture at Whole Foods Market
Larry Torres, customer development Leader-NY at Barilla America Inc.

THE WINNERS

The 42 nominated products have been divided into the following categories: Aperitif, Cheese & Charcuterie, Oils & Condiments, Pantry, Pasta, Sauces, Snacks, Sweets, Innovation, Packaging, and Sustainability.