Oval Eco Street Bowl and Coconut LOVO vodka scoop Innovation Challenge Gold

04-Mar-2016 - Last updated on 04-Mar-2016 at 10:34 GMT

Tri-Star Packaging's Oval Eco Street Bowl, which is made from unbleached bagasse – compostable sugar cane pulp – has won Gold in the Casual Dining Show Innovation Challenge 2016.

The bowl, available in 620ml and 770ml, is ideal for hot and cold food-to-go such as curries, noodles, pasta, burritos and salads.

Coconut LOVO vodka

The product was one of three Gold winners at Casual Dining, at the Business Design Centre in London last month (February 24-25).

The other two were Brewfitt’s Future of Dispense and Coconut LOVO vodka drink by LOVO, a blend of Thai coconut water and Vodka, with less than 1% natural sugar.

Kevin Curran, managing director, Tri-Star Packaging, told BakeryandSnacks, this was its first year at Casual Dining and it was a great honour to win Gold in the Innovation Challenge.

“The Oval Eco Street Bowl is attracting a lot of attention from our customers,” he said.

“In a world dominated by the circular and the square, the Oval Eco Street Bowl offers an ergonomic pack for eating on-the-go, and outstanding environmental credentials.”

This isn’t the first time the product has picked up an award, it received the top prize from the packaging section of the Cafe Product (non food) of the Year Award category at the Cafe Life Awards, and was commended in the Lunch! 2015 Innovation Challenge.

Judges said the bowl was a ‘great innovation with excellent eco-credentials’ which offered ‘many practical uses and easy execution’.

11 short-listed finalists from 22 entrants

Designed to promote and celebrate new ideas in the market place, the Innovation Challenge 2016 saw 11 short-listed finalists chosen from 22 entrants decided by popular vote at the Innovation Challenge Gallery on opening day.

They were then invited to live pitch their innovations to a trio of judges, Peter Borg-Neal, CEO, Oakman Inns & Restaurants; Brian Whiting, owner, Whiting & Hammond; and Keith Bird, COO, Gourmet Burger Kitchen and a theatre audience of visiting buyers.

Gluten Free Pastry Cases from Pidy, Bee Me (natural frozen yogurt and ice creams in eco-friendly pods) from rexmartins, Dairy Free Coconut & Mango Ice Cream from DiSotto Foods, and the Just Add flavour range (concentrated seasonings) from JDM Food Group were Commended.

Finalists included Bar Foods (Gentleman’s Platter), Coolicious Frozen Yogurt (Fat Free Frozen Yogurt Smoothie Base), Twinings (Twinings Chocolate Cookie Tea Shake), and The FoodFellas (Frozen Individual Avocado Halves).

The Innovation Challenge Gallery featured the most exciting new products being launched in the eating and drinking out sector.

The top products with the most buyer votes at the end of day one were invited to pitch their products to a panel of industry judges, who then presented the 2016 Innovation Challenge Awards.

The next Casual Dining show is at the Business Design Centre, Islington, London, February 22-23, 2017.