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Entries close soon for the 2019 APPMA Awards of Excellence, with more than half of the tickets already sold for the gala dinner at AUSPACK in March.

The dinner features a sustainability theme this year, with even the menu designed to reduce food waste. According to Mark Dingley, APPMA chair, there has been plenty of interest already.

“There are only 450 tickets available for the Gala Awards Ceremony and these are already over half sold. It’s fantastic to see people so keen to share in this night of networking, and celebrating innovation and our industry in general.”

Award entries close on 26 January, and Dingley urges anyone looking to participate to get their submissions in before the date, as well as book their tickets for the event.

“AUSPACK is only three months away, so I encourage people to get in quickly and secure their tickets for the Gala Awards Ceremony. I also strongly encourage exhibitors and APPMA members to get their Award submissions in before the due date.

“You can enter as many of the five categories as you like. Aside from winning and being a finalist, there are so many benefits to entering these national awards, so submit now,” he said.

This year’s categories are Best New Product, Customer Collaboration Award, Design Innovation Award, Export Success Award, and Imported Equipment Award. For more information, visit www.auspack.com.au/awards.

Food & Drink Business

Mars Australia & New Zealand has appointed Karim Lokhandwala as its new chief customer officer of Petcare, commencing 1 June. The news comes as applications open for the company’s Next Generation Pet Food Program with Big Idea Ventures – now in its third year.

Simson's Pantry received the Best NPD Award for its High Protein Souvlaki, which delivers 10g of protein per serve while still maintaining the texture, flexibility and versatility consumers expect. By combining functional nutrition with everyday usability, the company has successfully introduced a new point of differentiation within the Australian flatbread category.

Freshwater Bev Tech has received this year's Gamechanger Award for its patent-pending unpasteurised production process, developed specifically to preserve bio-active compounds in the company's functional beverage brand, SUMMi Soda.