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PLMA Announces ‘Salute to Excellence Awards'

March 2, 2010

The Private Label Manufacturers Association honored 23 food and beverage products and 11 home and health products in its 2009 Salute to Excellence Awards.

Wegman's Chocolate

More than 350 products across 34 categories were submitted for consideration and evaluated by a panel of professional and consumer judges for taste, performance, product appearance, packaging and value for the money.

In the Food & Drink segment there were 23 categories, each with one winner. Some of the most innovative products honored included:

• Wegmans 38% Cacao Milk Chocolate with Almonds Bar in the Chocolate & Candies category;
•  Save-A-Lot’s Coburn Farms, MooGurts Lowfat Yogurt Combos in the Children & Baby Foods category; 
• A&P’s Via Roma, Mini Cannoli Kit in the Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts category; 

• Price Chopper's Cheesecake

  Price Chopper’s Central Market Classics Solutions, 12 Cheesecake Miniatures Sampler in the Desserts category; 
• Hanneford Bros. Taste of Inspirations, Chocolate Chip Cookie Meltdown in the Gourmet category; 
• Trader Joe's Gourmet Flakes & Chocolate Cereal in the Breakfast category; 
• Price Chopper ‘s Central Market Classics, Thai Chili Roasted Garlic in the Asian category; and 
• Winn-Dixie Stores’ Mojo Marinade in the Ethnic category.

Topco's Domestix line

In the Home & Health segment, there were 11 category winners including:

• OfficeMax: [In] Place System by Peter Walsh Organization Kit in the Home Office category;
• Walgreen Co.’s Studio 35 Beauty, 11 Piece Beauty Makeover Essentials in the Personal Care & Toiletries category; and
• Topco Associates’ Domestix, Culinary Masterpiece Cookware Collection in the Kitchen & Cooking category.

Retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, brokers and trade suppliers can make award nominations. Products must have been introduced into the marketplace within the preceding 12 months. Professional testing personnel prepare all products for the judging panel to evaluate.

Hannaford's chocolate meltdown

Judges 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 of six to eight members; each panel includes consumers who are pre-screened for knowledge of store brands and past shopping experience.

For more on the awards, this year’s winners and applications for the 2010 awards go to the PLMA 'Salute to Excellence Awards' web site.