University of Surrey students fall short despite strong pitch at Ecotrophelia Europe final

Student duo Hannah Al-Memar and Tom Goble competed against Europe’s brightest food innovators across the two-day event, which was held at the SIAL food exhibition in Paris.

Although Team BoozyBalls did not secure a top three position, their pitch was strong, and their product, which has been refined since their victory in the UK final​​, stood out for its creativity and innovation.

The Gold Award and €4,000 prize went to LegumiNutty from Greece, who impressed the judges with their sustainable and nutritious legume-based product.

The Silver Award, worth €3,000, was awarded to Full’iz from Belgium for their innovative approach to plant-based food, while the Bronze Award and €2,000 went to Les Nao’s from France.

Finally, the Communication Strategy Award went to Tonka Egg from Croatia and the Entrepreneurship Spirit Award went to Opoke from Germany, with both prizes securing the winners €500.

“We are immensely proud of Team BoozyBalls for their dedication, innovative thinking and hard work, and ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with some of Europe’s best young food innovators,”​ said Chris Gilbert-Wood, acting chief executive of the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST) and member of the European judging panel.

“The standard of entries this year was incredibly high, and we congratulate all participants for their remarkable achievements. Congratulations to Team LegumiNutty for their winning entry.”​

Meanwhile, Campden BRI’s Bertrand Emond, who is also a co-organiser of the Ecotrophelia UK competition and president of the European judging panel added: "Ecotrophelia is an outstanding platform for eco-innovation, offering valuable inspiration to the food and drink industry. It harnesses the creativity and drive of our most talented food science students, backed by top academic institutions. From concept development to the final packaged product, teams gain practical, hands-on experience in launching a sustainable food or beverage product into the market."​

In other news, food giant Nestlé has announced a series of changes to its executive board​​​​, as new CEO Laurent Freixe targets quicker decision making.