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PLMA reveals 2023 Salute to Excellence award winners

11/13/2023

Created in 1986, PLMA annual Salute to Excellence awards program honors outstanding food and nonfood products launched within the past year by supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers, convenience stores, online retailers, wholesalers and more.

The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) unveiled 100 Salute to Excellence winners at its 2023 Private Label Trade Show in Chicago on Sunday, Nov. 12. Created in 1986, the annual awards program honors outstanding food and nonfood products launched within the past year by supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers, convenience stores, online retailers, wholesalers and more. This year, nearly 750 product entries were submitted by 53 North American retailers.

“PLMA is thrilled to celebrate the winning retailers for their commitment to store brand product and packaging excellence,” noted Peggy Davies, president of the New York-based organization. “From innovations in flavors and ingredients to vitamin-enriched health-and-wellness products, the Salute to Excellence award winners underscore the important role of store brands.”

Submissions were sampled and evaluated by a panel of professional and consumer judges according to several criteria, among them taste, product concept, packaging and value for money.

The winners included the following:

Gluten-Free Products:

Open Nature Cauliflower Crust Garlic Chicken Alfredo Pizza-Albertsons Cos.
Nice! Gluten-Free Vanilla Crème Cookies-Walgreens

Specialty Sauces, Rubs and Condiments:

Lowes Foods Premium Brown Bag “Truffle Your Feathers” Black Garlic Truffle Sauce-Lowes Foods
Great Value Blood Orange Balsamic Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena-Walmart Inc
Bowl & Basket Specialty Smokey Candied Bacon Sriracha Rub-Wakefern Food Corp.

Breakfast Foods:

Nature’s Basket Sweet Potato Pancake and Waffle Mix-Giant Eagle
Irresistibles Pina Colada-Flavoured Muffins-Metro Richelieu Inc.
Thrive Market Organic Infused Maple Syrup, Warm Pumpkin Spice-Thrive Market
Good & Gather Blueberry Muffins with Zucchini and Oats-Target

Global Cuisine:

Aplenty Asian-Style Chicken and Vegetable Potstickers-Amazon
Yesway Chamoy Chili Peach Rings (candy)-Yesway Convenience Stores
SE Grocers Naturally Better Organic Mexican-Style Street Corn-Flavored Corn Chips-Southeastern Grocers
Crav’n Flavor Single-Serve Miso Chicken Ramen Soup Bowl-Topco Associates LLC

Wellness Cleanses/Powders:

Sprouts Farmers Market Regenerative Organic Liver Cleanse-Sprouts Farmers Market
365 by Whole Foods Market Effervescent Vitamin C Powder, Kiwi-Strawberry-Whole Foods Market

The winning products are on display at PLMA’s 2023 “The Store Brands Phenomenon” Private Label Trade Show, which runs through Nov. 14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The full list of winners can be viewed online.

A nonprofit trade organization founded in 1979 to promote the store-brand industry, PLMA represents more than 4,500 member companies worldwide.