Spirit of Innovation Awards

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Last year saw Kellogg introduce MorningStar Farms® Incogmeato® Homestyle Chik'n Tenders so restaurant operators could add plant-based protein to the menu. This back-of-house product can be quickly fried or baked and used in any and every daypart.

Here’s a story where you could say the “i” stands for innovation and the “t’s” refer to taste and texture. It took Hormel Foods about two and half years to develop Happy Little Plants Meatballs, one of the foodservice industry’s first plant-based meatball products. Hormel launched the product last July and showcased it at this year’s National Restaurant Association exhibition.  

Last year saw Applegate take that farm-to-fork commitment to change one step further. With the October launch of Applegate Naturals Do Good Dog hot dogs, it became one of the first and few to appeal to consumers on the basis of regenerative agriculture.

This year brought more than 120 submissions and after two judged panel tastings, experts selected six items according to a 10-point scale for overall innovation, the team’s problem-solution story and sensory performance (including taste, appearance, texture, smell, etc.) 

When broadline foodservice distributor US Foods Holding Corp., introduced as many as 18 “Spring Scoop” products this March, it embraced the theme, “Do More with Less” and emphasized versatile items to help operator customers manage labor shortages and other operational challenges.

They say “teamwork makes the dream work.” Yet here’s a case where multiple teams contributed to a home run for Greenleaf Foods, SPC, Elmhurst, Ill. And coincidentally enough, this story involves baseball—with the Signature Stadium Dog now sold both outside and inside the Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium.