Evolved Foods wins the "Most Admired Organization in Plant-based Sustainable Foods" award

December 21st, 2022

Foods made from plants are becoming more popular in India as more people make informed eating decisions. Businesses like Evolved Foods are aiding consumers in finding an appropriate meat substitute without sacrificing taste, texture, or nutrition. In fact, because plant-based dishes have become so well-liked in India, the annual Pepsi Images Food Service Awards now feature a new category for plant-based companies. And this year, Bengaluru-based Evolved Foods took up the "Most Admired Organization in Plant-based Sustainable Foods" award at the sixth Pepsi Images Food Service Awards 2022 in Mumbai, honouring the company's substantial contributions to the food service industry!

A little insight into the prestigious awards

The Awards were presented as part of the 15th India Food Festival. Pepsi Images Food Service Awards honour excellence in menu and format innovation, marketing, business expansion, and customer experience across multiple categories. They are India's most prestigious recognitions for food service brands and companies driving the ongoing evolution of restaurant and dining formats nationwide. Being the first-time plant-based brands have been added as exhibitors and panellists by India Food Forum makes this award even more significant for Evolved Foods.

Plant-based food companies are recognized as change makers

During the event, the Plant Based Foods Industry Association (PBFIA) was instrumental in shedding awareness on the plant-based industry. "India Food Forum highlighted plant-based foods for the first time, with PBFIA acting as their Association Partner. It fills me with joy to see plant-based innovative food companies like Evolved Foods receive the attention they deserve from the food industry and retailers. The two days were packed with stall exhibitions, real-time product tasting, PBFIA Member meetings with retailers, which enabled us to interact with retailers as one voice, and a panel discussion on plant-based sustainable foods.

“The presence of India's biggest retailer, the Chief Merchandising Officer of Reliance Retail was the cherry on top. All this helped the food industry appreciate the potential of the plant-based foods sector and the reasons to propel this movement ahead. Plant-based foods have arrived, and how!" Sanjay Sethi, Executive Director, PBFIA, explained.

Founders of Evolved Foods share their pearls of wisdom

"The HoReCa sector will play a significant role in creating awareness and getting people to try plant-based food. We wanted to offer a versatile product that is Chef-friendly and allows them to add their own signature touch to the dishes. From biryanis to burgers, curries to kebabs, pasta to pizza, dim sums, sandwiches and even a halwa, our product can be used as a supplement or complement to animal protein in traditional dishes without comprising the taste, texture and authenticity," Pradeep Rao, Co-founder & CEO, Evolved Foods, said.

"We are ecstatic and pleasantly surprised about the nomination and winning this prestigious award. We are really happy that our product "Evolved Plant meat" is receiving so much love. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to our partners and chefs who are curating these dishes, local and global, for their consumers." Roma Roy Choudhury, Founder & COO, Evolved Foods, said in a statement.

Image Source: Evolved Foods

Plant-based brands lauded for offering future-ready products

Evolved Foods, the organisation in charge of this driving force, received a lot of recognition and acclaim from attendees. "The Pepsi IMAGES Food Service Awards recognize the inventiveness and out-of-the-box innovation displayed by emerging and established brands in India's Food Service sector. I am really excited by the response to the plant-based brands that exhibited during the event and the imaginative and future-ready products being introduced into the market by brands such as Evolved Foods," Nikhil Behl, CEO (Fashion & Food Business), IMAGES Group, said in a statement.

Moreover, Varun Deshpande, President, Asia, The Good Food Institute, also discussed his thoughts on how the food service industry might encourage consumers to sample plant-based foods. "Food service offers curious and conscious Indian consumers the chance to experiment with smart protein, bumping these foods up from 'at home snacking items' to the center of the plate. Adding high-fidelity plant-based dishes from a startup like Evolved Foods could also help HoReCa attract new customers, offer more inclusive group dining opportunities, and appeal to younger demographics. We've seen major momentum in the sector with leaders across industry, academia, and government coming together in service of a mission for smart protein - and we're excited to see it enter the mainstream. Chefs working with Evolved's delicious, versatile plant-based meats can create the perfect consumer experience and sustain interest in this category!" he said.

Accessibility of Evolved Foods products

A plant-based protein company called Evolved Foods offers savoury, wholesome, and protein-rich meat substitutes. They provide sustainably produced, ready-to-cook plant-based protein components. With ambitions to gradually expand into other Indian cities, Evolved Foods is currently available on HoReCa partner menus in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, and Jaipur.