An antibacterial Bag for Life from Addmaster (UK) Ltd has been awarded the Best New Idea accolade at this year’s Foodex 2016 exhibition. The Biomaster Bag for Life is treated with technology proven to prevent the growth of most common types of bacteria.

The award was presented to Sandrine Garnier, Sales Director at Addmaster (UK) Ltd by Foodex Event Director, Dan Dixon and Nigel Barden, a prominent critic, journalist and broadcaster.

Speaking at the presentation, Garnier said: “It is fantastic recognition for our product and really great timing as a major UK retailer is due to launch this product from the end of April/beginning of May. It is our first big customer but other companies are lined up for it as well. It started in the UK but will soon be international with one company due to introduce it in South Africa. It is so great to win - we didn't expect it at all!”

In 2011, food safety researchers in the US discovered that 51% of reusable shopping bags contained harmful bacteria. In a UK study, nearly half of reusable bags tested fell into the ‘heavily contaminated’ category. With one of the most common causes of food poisoning resulting from cross-contamination during the weekly shopping trip, Biomaster is a reusable shopping bag that can be used for life, safely.

The active bacterial agent is built into the bag during the manufacturing process so the protection lasts for the useful lifetime of the bag. It does not affect the taste or smell of the bag contents in any way, and in independent tests it was proven to inhibit the growth of most common types of bacteria by more than 99%. Find out more about the winning entry here.

The Great New Idea competition, which invited exhibitors to put forward their best innovations of the last six months, saw over 70 entries, with the winner announced at a presentation at the NEC during the show. A shortlist of three finalists was chosen, voted for by visitors to the show, as well as other members of the industry, ahead of the event.

Recognised at the event alongside the Biomaster Bag for Life from Addmaster (UK) Ltd, exhibitors MCA process and ITS Europe Ltd were announced as runners up. MCA process was acknowledged for its Automatic Hamburger Assembly Line and ITS Europe for its eXact iDip app, which harnesses the power of smart devices and the simplicity of design to handle the heavy lifting of complex water testing.

Foodex - the UK's premier trade event for the food and drink processing, packaging, ingredients and logistics industries – offered the ideal forum for members of the industry to network and gain insight and inspiration. The biennial exhibition showcased the latest trends across the food manufacturing sectors from traceability to new ingredients spanning the bakery, beverage, dairy, fresh, ingredients, logistics, meat and seafood sectors.

Foodex 2016 was co-located with the Farm Shop & Deli Show, National Convenience Show and Food & Drink Expo. The Great New Idea competition ran across all four shows, with the following companies taking the top spot, including:

• Farm Shop & Deli: Boozy Udders Cocktail Ice Cream
• National Convenience Show: Pelican Rouge Coffee Roasters B.V
• Food & Drink Expo: Nim’s Fruit Crisps

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