PLMA congratulates the winners of this year’s Salute to Excellence Awards®, which gives recognition to outstanding store brands products introduced on the shelves of supermarkets, drug chains, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, convenience stores and specialty retailers from coast to coast, as well as online.
Over 760 products were submitted for consideration in the food, beverage, kitchen, household, and health & beauty categories. Entries were then evaluated by a panel of professional and consumer judges on taste & sensory appeal, packaging, product concept, and value for money. Winning products once again demonstrated the creativity and innovation of today’s store brands.
Nominations for PLMA's annual Salute to Excellence Awards® can be made by retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, brokers and trade suppliers. Products are divided into Food & Drink Awards and Home & Health Awards and then subdivided by category of product, such as side dishes or OTC. Products must have been introduced into the marketplace within the preceding 12 months.
Professional testing personnel prepare all products for evaluation by the judging panel. Products are reviewed for innovation & concept, packaging, taste and value for money. Non-food products are judged on innovation & concept, sensory, presentation and value for money.
Judges for the Food & Drink and the Home & Health Awards are selected on the basis of past and current experience with product concepts, packaging, quality, product performance, supply chain management, and retail marketing and merchandising. Judges are divided into panels made up of 10 members which includes consumers.
All panels include consumer representation. Consumers are prescreened for knowledge of store brands and past shopping experience. Judging and scoring is done on the same basis as professional panel members. Their views are intended to provide everyday insight and balance to the process.