FIPA 2019 Judging criteria

Judging Process

The students should not wear anything that reveals their respective schools. Each team (food manufacturer and students) will be given ten minutes to present their product (including tasting) and the commercialisation plan. This will be followed by five minutes of Q&A.

The judges may smell, taste and feel the products, wherever applicable. The judges will evaluate the performance of each team according to the criteria listed.

Functional Aspect

Scores in this category would be considered for Most Functional Award

  • What are the nutrition and health considerations in the development of the product?
  • Has the team examined functional foods trend when developing this product? High calcium, low GI, low sugar, etc?
  • Are the health claims aligned with food regulations?
  • Is the taste acceptable in general?
  • Have they done any sensory evaluation or consumer acceptance study?

Innovation

Scores in this category would be considered for Most Innovative Award

  • How new or innovative is this concept?
  • How does the new concept value-add to the company’s existing product line or business?
  • Is the product’s uniqueness easy to explain to customers?
  • Did the team demonstrate design thinking process during the product conceptualisation, e.g. How well has the team examined the consumers’ need and the product-market fit?

Ready-to-eat

Scores in this category would be considered for Best Convenience Food Award

  • Can the products be prepared easily (for example, cooking methods, time required to prepare, consistency of the food using different cooking methods etc.)
  • Has the team performed any customer validation/ acceptance study on this product
  • Is the taste/mouth feel different compared to freshly prepared meals?

Packaging

Scores in this category would be considered for Best Packaging Award

  • How attractive and functional is the packaging?
  • Is the packaging easy to handle, e.g. Is the film easy to tear, will the packaging be easy to handle when hot (for RTE), etc.?
  • Are considerations given for the target consumer(s), e.g. How will an elderly open a coffee bag, type of packaging used for RTE microwavable or retort packed, etc.?
  • Is the packaging functional?
  • Is the packaging environmental friendly?

Commercialisation Plan

Scores in this category would be considered for Best Market Potential Award

  • Does the team have a sound market launch strategy?
  • Does the company have the capability to adjust, produce and deliver this prototype into an actual product?
  • Has the team assess the suitability of the product for local market and the “exportability” of the product? Any identified overseas markets and how are the products positioned for it?
  • What are the additional distribution channels for the new product, e.g. opening B2B segments, supermarkets, restaurants, e-commerce, etc.?