National Restaurant Association Announces 2013 FABI Awards Recipients

Top Food and Beverage Innovations Reflect Industry Macro-trends, High Marketability and Lifestyle Needs

CHICAGO, March 13, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Restaurant Association today announced the recipients of the FABI Awards, which recognizes progressive food and beverage innovations that will make a significant impact in the restaurant industry.

An independent panel of experts, representing a variety of both commercial and non-commercial industry segments, selected the FABI award recipients based on their exciting benefits to restaurant operators. The innovations selected represent high marketability products designed to satisfy consumer trends, including lifestyles such as gluten free, allergen free, low sodium, vegetarian, vegan or raw diets. The award recipients will be showcased at the 2013 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show on May 18-21 at Chicago's McCormick Place.

"Food and beverage innovation helps drive customer satisfaction and profitability for restaurant operators," said Jeffrey W. Davis, Convention Chair for NRA Show 2013 and CEO of the United States Beef Corporation. "This year's FABI Awards recipients embody bold imagination with great potential to advance menu development and attract new customers. The NRA Show offers the perfect forum to explore trends and see new products that will shape the foodservice future—today."

The 2013 FABI Awards recipients are: 

Dawn Foods: TasteFills™

Tastefills are freezer-to-fryer bakery bites that come in 6 different filling flavors, with a miniature application that gives restaurants a flexible and convenient, high-quality dessert option to expand their menus.

Edison Grainery: Organic Quinoa Pasta

An organic quinoa and rice flour blend, that is gluten free and high in protein, and helps restaurants satisfy dietary needs and keep pace with culinary trends without sacrificing quality or taste.

Hail Merry Snacks: Merry's Chocolate Miracle Mini Tart

Consciously prepared to protect the integrity of the pure GMO-free ingredients, including a natural almond crust and organic virgin coconut oil, this mini tart provides operators a way meet special diet restrictions, including gluten-free, vegan, and Kosher.

Kiki's Gluten Free Foods, LLC: Kiki's SpinachFeta Pockets

A gluten-free product that delivers excellent flavor and texture, and utilizes special packaging to help eliminate the risk of cross contamination during preparation.

Nu-Tek Food Science: Salt for Life™ Sea Salt Blend

Using a patented, single-crystal technology, Salt for Life Sea Salt Blend delivers the true taste of salt with 70 percent less sodium than table salt, and can be used by operators like regular salt as a one-to-one replacement in recipes.

Sinco Inc.: Italcrust Ancient Grain Handstretched Woodfired Frozen Pizza Crust

A premium, all-natural pizza crust made with ancient grains that is proofed for 24 hours, hand-stretched and wood fired, allowing operators to tap into the highly-popular ancient grains trend and capitalize on the crust's bold flavor.

Wagshal's Imports: Fermin Iberico de Bellota Smoked Panceta

A high end, artisanal pork product made from the one-of-a-kind Iberico de Bellota breed from Spain, traditionally cured and hickory smoked here in the United States for some of the most flavorful, high quality panceta on the market.

To learn more about the FABI program and this year's award recipients, visit Restaurant.org/Show. The annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. NRA Show 2013 will be held May 18-21 at McCormick Place in Chicago, and the 2013 International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event held in conjunction with the NRA Show will take place May 19-20. The events attract 61,000+ attendees and visitors from all 50 states and 100+ countries, and showcases the latest products, services, innovative ideas, up-to-the-minute information about trends and issues and more growth opportunities than any other industry event. For more information, visit the Show and IWSB websites at Restaurant.org/Show and WineSpiritsBeer.org, and find the NRA Show on Twitter @NRAShow, Facebook, YouTube and its widely read NRA Show blog.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 980,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of more than 13 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry's largest trade show (NRA Show May 18-21, 2013, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF's ProStart, including the National ProStart Invitational April 19-21, 2013, in Baltimore, Md.); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids' menu options. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association