Now in its 26th year, the prestigious awards ceremony celebrates outstanding achievements across the UK’s food and drink sector.
Whether you’re a rising star or an industry giant, the competition honours the very best operators, people and factories across all categories – from ambient to frozen, to fresh, to pet food.
New for this year is our Engineer of the Year award – an accolade that celebrates the often-unsung heroes of food and drink manufacturing.
To help select the finalists and winners of all 14 categories, we’ll be joined by more than 20 judges, among them a mixture of Food Manufacture Excellence Awards (FMEA) judging veterans, fresh faces and past winners.
This year will also see the return of our second tier judging with all the awards subject to an online interview stage. This will see the finalists presenting to a dedicated panel of judges.
Commenting on the awards, Bethan Grylls, editor of Food Manufacture said: “The Food Manufacture Excellence Awards offer businesses a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and showcase the hard work their teams have put in over the last year.
“At a particularly tough time for the food and drink sector, it’s so important that the teams driving the UK’s food and drink scene take the time to let their hair down and give themselves a well-deserved pat on the back.
“And whilst it’s the taking part that counts – and our finalists certainly do see recognition – winning an award can give a business a big boost, cementing it as a top performer among existing customers and even bringing in new ones.
“This year we have introduced a few new categories, including Engineer of the Year. Engineers are not only problem solvers – they are innovators, collaborators, and trusted partners in driving operational excellence; and often take more of a background role. So, it’s time we put them into the spotlight and let them know how valued they are!”
The awards are open to both new names in food and drink and established players.
The full list of categories:
- Manufacturer of the Year
- Health Hero Award
- Factory Manager of the Year
- Sustainable Manufacturer of the Year
- Best Newcomer
- Future Talent Award
- The Innovation Award
- Site Team of the Year
- Business Leader of the Year
- Employer of the Year
- Collaboration and Partnership Award
- Outstanding Community Engagement
- The Food Integrity Award
- Engineer of the Year
Grylls added: “I can’t wait to see what the sector has to offer for 2026. The food and drink industry is one of resilience, perseverance and innovation – and I know we’re in for a real treat.”
To enter the awards, visit: www.foodmanawards.co.uk.
This year’s awards are supported by headline sponsor Menzies, and event sponsors Domino Printing Sciences, Reed, and Langdon.