New Product Awards Finalists Raise the Bar on Function, Convenience, and Value
TORONTO, April 1, 2026 /CNW/ - Retail Council of Canada (RCC) is excited to reveal the finalists for the 33rd Annual Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards. This year's finalists represent 88 of the most impressive food and non-food products launched into the Canadian market in 2025 across both private label and national brands.
Across food and non-food categories, four priorities are defining the next wave of innovation: convenience without compromise, functional benefits, accessible premium quality, and embedded sustainability.
- The 2025 food finalists are increasingly delivering restaurant-quality results in simplified formats, while embedding functional benefits such as protein, probiotics, and reduced sugar into everyday items.
- Wellness, sustainability, and targeted functionality continue to shape development across home care, personal care, and household essentials with non-food category finalists offering premium features at accessible price points, using advanced materials and technologies.
"This year's submissions reflect a grocery sector that is highly responsive to changing consumer expectations. Products are being developed to deliver meaningful benefits, whether that's improved nutrition, greater convenience, or more sustainable solutions," said Kim Furlong, President and CEO, Retail Council of Canada. "What stands out most is the ability of retailers and manufacturers to bring together quality, functionality, and value in ways that resonate with Canadians' everyday lives."
Long recognized as the industry's hallmark of product excellence, the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards are raising the bar in 2026 with an expansion designed to make the program an even more powerful driver of category growth and shopper engagement.
Three strategic additions will take effect for the 2026 awards cycle:
Product Ratings & Reviews in Partnership with Caddle
All winning products will now receive third-party ratings and reviews from Caddle's receipt-verified 100% Canadian consumer panel, providing brands with feedback from real purchasers and in-market performance insights
New Finalist and Winner Seals for Packaging
A new visual identity launches with distinctive seals that brands can leverage on packaging, in-store displays, and marketing materials.
Expanded Judging Panel
New jurors have joined the evaluation process from Canadian Living, Postmedia, and BuzzFeed, bringing deeper expertise in lifestyle and consumer categories.
This year's jury is chaired by Chef Poyan Danesh, an award-winning culinary leader with deep roots in Canada's food innovation landscape, currently serving as Culinary Director at Ocean Mama Seafood and Competition Chair for the Chefs' Table Society of British Columbia. The Canadian Grand Prix jury of 30 food and grocery industry experts evaluated products based on innovation, taste, texture, consumer value, and packaging. The rigorous evaluation process required that to become a finalist, a product needed to receive an overall score of at least 70 per cent.
The complete list of finalists is now posted on the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards website.
Winners to be Announced on June 3, 2026
The winners of the key categories and five specialty awards will be announced live at the 33rd Canadian Grand Prix New Product Award Gala Dinner on June 3, 2026 at the Toronto Congress Centre. The Gala will mark the closing celebration of RCCSTORE26, RCC's premier retail industry conference. Tickets for the Gala are available at RCCGrandPrix.ca.
About Retail Council of Canada
Retail is Canada's largest private-sector employer with over 2.3 million Canadians working in our industry. This sector is a major economic contributor, generating more than $101 billion annually in wages and employee benefits. In 2025, core retail sales (excluding vehicles and gasoline) exceeded $532 billion. Retail Council of Canada (RCC) members account for more than two thirds of these core retail sales and 95 per cent of the grocery market. Our membership extends across the country, embracing over 65,000 storefronts in diverse formats such as department, grocery, specialty, discount, independent retailers, online merchants, and quick service restaurants. As the Voice of Retail™ in Canada, RCC, a not-for-profit, industry-funded association, proudly represents retail businesses of all sizes, from small independents to large national chains, in communities nationwide.
SOURCE Retail Council of Canada
Santo Ligotti, VP Marketing & Membership, (416) 274-2956, [email protected]
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