EVALUATION INFORMATION
Jurors are hand-selected volunteers from key media, food industry experts, supplier, and retail member sources. The evaluation process is a critical step, and procedures and guidelines are put in place to ensure that products are evaluated fairly.
Evaluation Process
- Food products are prepared exactly per packaging instructions by a professional kitchen team and evaluated in person. Food products are served in a blind taste test for unbiased evaluation.
- Non-food and limited food products are shipped to juror homes for testing and evaluation.
- Products are evaluated on their own merits and not judged comparatively to other products registered in the category.
- Jurors review the information submitted by the participant in the four evaluation areas to help them understand the participants’ intentions and goals.
- Jurors rate your product in each of the four areas out of 25 points and provide comments and you will receive verbatim feedback on your submitted product.
- Products that score at least 70% in their overall average score out of 100 are promoted to finalist status.
Jurors evaluate your product in four areas:
1. Product Characteristics – 25%
Participants should provide detailed information on their intentions, goals, and reasoning for product characteristics including:
- Appearance
- Taste
- Texture
- Nutritional value
- Overall sensory appeal of a food product
- Non-food items can also be judged on sensory aspects (ex. Olfactory, visual, tactile, etc).
2. Innovation and Originality – 25%
Participants should provide details for the jury to understand and validate including:
- How is this product new and innovative?
- How and to what extent is it different from other products in this category?
- How do these differences change the way we look at this type of product or others from this category?
- What is the potential for the innovative features of this product to affect the development of new products within this category or in other categories?
- What are the additional benefits that this product offers to consumers?
3. Presentation and Packaging – 25%
Participants should provide details for the jury to understand and validate including:
- Is the packaging user-friendly, convenient, and adequately designed?
- Is the product over-packaged?
- Is it environment-friendly or environmentally sustainable?
- Are claims on the label appropriate?
- How does packaging stand out in their category?
4. Overall Consumer Value – 25%
This category measures the quality to price ratio. Participants should provide information on how they justify consumer value.
- Is this product good value for the consumer at suggested retail prices?
- Juror can evaluate as if they would purchase this themselves or recommend.
- How do innovations in the product or packaging offer added value to the consumer?
Path From Submissions to Results
Sept 5, 2023
Registration
Opens
Nov 30, 2023
Registration Deadline
Dec 31, 2023
Final Registration Deadline
Jan 10, 2024
Submission Deadline
February 2024
Jury tastes and tests all products for evaluation
April 2024
Finalists Announced with press release
May 29, 2024
Winners announced at CGP Gala
Questions about the Grand Prix Program?
Contact Pierre Chartier, Sales and Business Development, at pchartier@retailcouncil.org or by phone at (514) 830-5429.