NRW State Prize for Food
Environment Minister Eckhard Uhlenberg conferred the NRW State Prize for Food (Landesehrenpreis für Lebensmittel NRW) in the functional food category on another 35 companies at the Innovation Congress of the NRW Food Cluster in Bonn today. With this, around 110 manufacturers of food products have received this distinction. “The State Prize is an ‘award of the best’, it honours the quality and taste of North Rhine Westphalia food”, said Minister Uhlenberg before conferring the award. “All award winners can be proud of their products. Because top quality is not a question of company size; it is a question of know-how, irrespective of whether it is a small company or a large industrial enterprise.”
The State Prize is conferred on North Rhine Westphalia food manufacturers whose products are of above-average quality. The quality criteria of the German Agricultural Society (DLG) serve as the standard. All companies from North Rhine Westphalia who have received the DLG Gold Medal for at least one of their products also get the State Prize. The DLG evaluates a careful selection of raw materials, optimum processing and preparation as well as the sensory factors of smell, consistency and taste. The companies on which the State Prize is bestowed get a certificate as well as a printed citation along with a gold medal. The latter can be used in advertisements e.g., on the package of the distinguished food items for two years.
Minister Uhlenberg expressed his happiness at the avid interest taken by food manufacturers of North Rhine Westphalia in offering their products for evaluation by the DLG of their own accord: “This indicates that the manufacturers are proud of their products. They emphasize their regional roots and therefore contribute towards improving the image of North Rhine Westphalia as the federal state of culinary delights. The State Prize is also expected to serve the purpose of popularizing North Rhine Westphalia products beyond the frontiers of the state.“
“On the whole, the food sector in North Rhine Westphalia enjoys a vantage position in national and international competition,” emphasized Minister Uhlenberg: “The state government supports the companies by promoting their competitiveness. The cluster management of Food Cluster, NRW, which launched the State Prize jointly with us, has made essential contributions to this process. The objective is to trigger stronger networking and more cooperation in the entire value creation chain. This will create synergies and set a growth dynamics in motion”, says Uhlenberg.
Companies that were unable to participate in the three prize distribution ceremonies received their certificates in advance by mail. A list of all the prize winners and more information about the “NRW State Prize for food products” can be found at www.umwelt.nrw.de. Pictures of the event in print quality are available from the internet site of the Food Cluster, NRW at www.ernaehrung.nrw.de.