The Vegan Society has held their fourth annual Dairy Free Awards to celebrate what they call “FebNoDairy” – to highlight the great dairy alternatives in Kiwi shops and cafes across the country. This award is a People’s Choice award with voters determining the best that Aotearoa has to offer.
“There has never been a better time to try out vegan foods and our People’s Choice awards show everyone what is popular and what others recommend as great tasting dairy free alternatives,” Spokesperson Claire Insley said. “We are delighted that so many people took part in the voting process. Every year we have new products to add in, new companies come to the fore and the winners should be proud of their position. We are so lucky to have such a wide range of dairy free alternatives available to all those seeking to reduce and remove dairy products from their diet, these are not just for vegans, everyone can enjoy them”
The Vegan Society awards showcase the range of plant-based products available in the country, from small artisan businesses to the big corporations. As dairy free becomes more popular consumers know that award winners will be great products and it can take the difficulty out of choosing which product is the best for them. Winners have the opportunity to display awards on their products, letting the public know they are looking at a truly delicious food.
These products have a lower carbon footprint than their animal-based counterparts, and contribute less pollution in their production. Some of them even have a zero waste ethic as well. One of the nominees for the ice cream category, Eat Kinda, is actually made from cauliflowers! All the ugly caulis that no one wants to buy can be turned into delicious plant-based ice cream instead!
There are six categories that the public voted for in this year’s awards and the winners and runners up are:
Ice cream
Winner is Magnum Almond
Runners up were Tiptop Boysenberry Trumpet, along with Duck Island Salted Chocolate Brownie
Plant Based Milk
Winner is Boring Oat Barista, who also won last year.
Runner up is Vitasoy Oat.
Butter
Winner is Vutter Original taking half the votes!
Runner up is also Vutter with their Garlic blend
Plant Based Desserts
Equal Winners are Alpro Chocolate 4 pack dessert and Alpro 250ml carton of custard
Equal Runners up are Sara Lee Joy Blueberry Cheesecake and Sara Lee Joy Key Lime Cheesecake
Plant Based Yoghurts
Winner is Raglan Food Company Vanilla Bean
Runner up is Raglan Food Company Raspberry
Cream
Winner is Angel Food Sour Cream
Runners up are Alpro Single Soy Cream and Little Island Cashew Cream
For more information about the awards visit https://vegansociety.org.nz/nz-dairy-free-awards/.
