Vertical farming business prevails in Deli category at The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards, as well as picking up top prize for Champion of Champions

GrowUp's production methods ensire that Unbeleafable Zesty Baby Leaves last far longer than most other bagged salads

GrowUp’s production methods ensure that Unbeleafable Zesty Baby Leaves last far longer than most other bagged salads

GrowUp was crowned Champion of Champions at The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards for its Unbeleafable Zesty Baby Leaves.

At the awards ceremony at Wembley Stadium, the bagged salad also won gold in the Deli category and was praised by judges for its “excellent, punchy citrus flavour”. According to The Grocer, the product impressed with both its sustainable credentials and “strong sense of fun”.

The vertically farmed leaves – which include green and red baby lettuce, as well as sorrel – require 97 per cent less water than traditionally grown salad, with no need for pesticides or chlorine.

In addition, GrowUp says the product lasts three times longer than other bagged salads, helping to minimise household waste.

Meanwhile, BerryWorld won gold in Composite Pack of the Year for its 100 per cent recycled punnets.

In a first for branded berry packaging, the punnets use 100 per cent recycled rPET plastic, with a fully recyclable, FSC-certified paper-based lidding film.

The composite packs make it simple for consumers to separate the two materials for kerbside recycling, as well as preserving shelf life.

They launched on Ocado in June for strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Another notable success in fruit and vegetable packaging came for health food brand Pack’d, which won gold in Paper Pack of the Year for its freezer paper bags.

After 18 months of storage testing and manufacturing trials, the new bags – for frozen organic fruits and vegetables – arrived in stores in November 2023.

They use an OPRL-approved paper laminate containing 81 per cent paper and 19 per cent PE laminate, meaning they can be widely recycled at home.

Additional successes in fruit and veg were:

  • SharpTek padless punnets from Sharpak, which won bronze in both Sustainability Pack of the Year and Eco-Pack of the Year
  • Driscoll’s strawberry paper pack, which won bronze in Sustainability Pack of the Year and Paper Pack of the Year
  • Bear Fruit Splits, which won silver in the Healthier Snacking category
  • Nākd Fruit & Fibre Apple & Cinnamon bars, which won bronze in the Healthier Snacking category

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