Food competition facts for kids
Imagine a contest where the best-tasting foods and drinks win prizes! That's exactly what food and drink competitions are. These special events give awards, like medals, to products that taste amazing.
These competitions come in different types. Some focus on specific products, like the best wines, beers, or cheeses. Others might look for the best local, regional, or national foods. Then there are big international competitions that test all sorts of foods and drinks you can buy in stores. Wine is one of the most common drinks tested, followed by beer and spirits.
Many of these competitions happen all over the world. Judges carefully taste and rate the products. Most of the time, the judges don't know which brand they are tasting. This is called a "blind" test. Sometimes, they also do lab tests to check the quality. The judges are usually experts, like famous chefs or sommeliers (people who are experts in wine).
The idea of tasting competitions has been around for a long time. One of the oldest awards for drinks is the Brewing Industry International Awards, which started way back in 1888. For food, the Monde Selection award began in 1961. As more and more different foods and drinks became available, the number of these competitions grew too.
How Competitions Work
Some organizations, like Monde Selection, say their awards are like the stars a hotel gets, or the stars in the Michelin Guide for restaurants. However, there's a big difference. While both use secret judges, Michelin chooses which places to review and pays for everything. For many food and drink awards, companies have to pay a fee to enter their products. For example, Monde Selection charges about 1,100 Euros (around $1,200 USD) to review a product.
Also, unlike the Olympic Games where only one gold, silver, and bronze medal is given per event, these food and drink competitions can give out many medals in each category. Other competitions use a similar business model.
Most organizations that give out awards charge a fee to enter. For some awards, producers or stores only pay if their product wins. They might also pay a fee to use the award logo on their product packaging.
You might wonder if these awards can be "bought" because of the fees. However, the tasting part is usually done fairly. Judges taste the products without knowing the brand or seeing the packaging. They focus only on how the food or drink looks, smells, tastes, and feels in their mouth. This means the awards are based on quality. Of course, only companies that pay the entry fee can get an award if their product wins.
Popular Competitions
Here are some well-known food and drink competitions where companies pay to enter:
- International Wine Contest
- The Great Aussie Pie Competition
- Monde Selection
- New York International Olive Oil Competition
- Superior Taste Award
- World Beer Cup
- A.A. Taste Award
See also
In Spanish: Competición de alimentos para niños
- Wine competition
- Wine tasting
- List of food and drink awards
