About the Quality Food & Drink Awards
Setting the benchmark for food and drink excellence
The UK Quality Food & Drink Awards are the premier programme recognising excellence in food and drink products, across retail and foodservice. We've been doing it for just under 5 decades, welcome to the longest running food awards in the UK.
Celebrating outstanding products, available to purchase in the UK, the awards honour outstanding taste, craftsmanship, innovation and product integrity across a wide range of categories.
Judges assess entries on rigorous criteria that reflect consumer expectations and retail success, spotlighting products that demonstrate exceptional quality, packaging, flavour and market appeal. Winning a Quality Food & Drink Award provides brands with a trusted mark of distinction that resonates with buyers, retailers and consumers alike.
Products are judged against a rigorous 10 point criteria. Products undergo a 360 review considering all aspects a consumer might when selecting a food and drink product in store:
1) Taste
2) Texture
3) Flavour
4) Aroma
5) Ingredients List
6) Provenance
7) Product Appearance
8) Packaging
9) Price Point/Value for Money
10) Innovation/Aims in the Marketplace
What's new for 2026?
Refreshed and reimagined, 2026 marks a new chapter for the Qs:
| 1. A dedicated category sector to Health & Nutrition Once a niche consideration, now a mainstream purchasing driver. Shoppers are actively looking for products that support everyday wellbeing, and, the industry is responding; innovating at speed.
| 2. A dedicated category sector for early years food and drink Our Baby & Toddler awards recognise the best product development for early years development and nutrition. | 3. The relaunch of our Alcoholic Drinks categories These categories recognise the best wines, spirits, beers and specialty beverages in grocery retail. Rewarding wineries, distillers and brewers striving for excellence in innovation and quality. |