Fi Europe 2026 Innovation Awards finalists revealed

Fi Europe, the world’s leading food ingredients event, today announces the finalists for this year’s Innovation Awards, whose winner will be announced at a prestigious ceremony in the Harmonie Hall 5.1 at Messe Frankfurt on 17 November. 

 

The awards celebrate the brands at the forefront of innovation, recognising pioneering solutions that are shaping the future of the global food and beverage industry. This year sees the introduction of the Alternative Protein Innovation Award to reflect the growing importance of plants, fungi, algae, microbes, and insects as sources of protein. 

 

 

 

 

The 2026 finalists by category are:

Alternative Protein Innovation Award 

• Bunge
  PurePro^® soy protein concentrate 
• dsm-firmenich  
  Vertis™ TVPs with ModulaSENSE^® 
• Lallemand Bio-Ingredients  
  Engevita^® HiPRO Beyond  
   

Dairy Alternative Innovation Award 

• KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
  KWS Proteomex^® platform 
• Nourish Ingredients
  Creamilux^®  
   

Food Manufacturing Innovation Award 

• GOPACK BV
  Flexivent block bottom bag 
• Spectral Blue
  Multi-wavelength, high-intensity (MWHI^®) antimicrobial blue light (aBL) 
   

Future Foodtech Innovation Award 

• Arborea
  BioSolar Leaf™ 
• dsm-firmenich
  Maxiren^®EVO 
• Ferm Labs AG
  Precision AI-bioprocessing 
• MOA Foodtech
  Turning byproducts into functional ingredients 
   

 Health Innovation Award 

• Botanic Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
  CornFit™ 
• FrieslandCampina Ingredients
  Social protein 
• Wecare Probiotics Co., Ltd.
  Weizmannia (Bacillus) coagulans BC99 
   

Pet Food & Nutrition Innovation Award 

• ADM
  PRIOME^® Oral Care (OC) postbiotic  
• Bene Meat Technologies a.s.
  Coolty Meat 
• BENEO
  BeneoFeed FB P60 
   

Plant-based Innovation Award 

• Botanic Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
  Guarsol™ 
• GNT Group B.V. 
  New technology that stabilizes spirulina to deliver natural blues for beverages 
• Roquette
  Product launching soon 
• Zentis Fruchtwelt GmbH & Co. KG 
  ZENTIS thermostable popping bobas 

 
Sustainability Innovation Award 

• Beyond Oil LTD
  Food-grade technology that transforms how frying oil is managed in foodservice 
• LÍPIDOS SANTIGA S.A
  LIPSA's sustainable coconut oil project for responsible sourcing into impact at origin 
• Roquette
  Innovating transport decarbonization across the food industry value chain 
• Tereos
  Cultivate Net Zero^®, a low-carbon and regenerative agriculture ingredients offer 

 

The shortlisted entries were selected from 133 submissions from all over the world. They were evaluated by a panel of eleven industry experts led by Professor Colin Dennis, Chair, Board of Trustees at IFIS Ltd.  

 

As the home of food ingredients, Fi Europe brings together the global food ingredients community to connect, exchange ideas and share inspiration. Yannick Verry, Fi Events Brand Director at Informa Markets, said: “Innovation today is driven by collaboration, so being able to bring the food ingredients community together is essential to moving our industry forward. The awards shine a light on the people and companies developing solutions that are helping to solve problems and unlock new opportunities, while giving us an opportunity celebrate the hard work, creativity, and passion of the teams behind them.” 

 

To purchase a pass to attend the awards, see: Fi Europe 2026 Registration | Book your Pass | Fi Europe