About
The Good Food Awards rely on the expertise of the snacks community to create the tasting, determine judges and set standards for the category. Read on to learn who has been integral to building the category, as well as what the snacks standard are and who will be judging this year.
Committee
Co-ChairsErick Garman
Trade Development Manager, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Erick Garman is a Trade Development Manager for the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). His role at the ODA includes marketing Oregon food and agriculture products locally, domestically and internationally. Erick works closely with small to mid-sized producers to advance sales, enhance market access and development, provide regulatory assistance and export consultation. Prior to working at the ODA, Erick spent over 16 years in marketing and advertising. His experience includes raising marketing funds for non-profit and government organizations, building strong relationships with buyers and sellers and encouraging new and innovative ways to bring products to market.
Julie Rentsch
Business Development Director, Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council
As Business Development Director, Julie manages processor relations, trade support, market development, and strategic partnerships on behalf of the dairy industry. A graduate of Queen’s University, Canada, Julie’s prior experience includes brand management and market development in North America and Europe for Kraft Foods, William Grant & Sons, and the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission. In her spare time, Julie is Founder and President of CISV Portland, a volunteer-run non-profit that provides cross-cultural peace education to youth ages 11+. She can often be found hovering over the cheese tray at social gatherings
2024 Judges
Alex Grand
Relationship Specialist, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network
Cody Bowman
Communications Director, The City of Portland
Jana Jenkins
Owner, Oregon Ag Distribution
Jamie Painter
Senior Field Representative, Congressman Blumenauer
Brenna Davis
Anthony Myint
Executive Director and Co-Founder, Zero Foodprint, Mission Chinese Food
Emily Davidson
CEO, Portland Creamery
Hannah Kullberg
Catalyst & Connector, Community Co-Pack NW, Pacific Northwest Packaged Food and Beverage Group
Gregory Smith
Chef, Noble Rot, ODA
Charley Wheelock
Founder, Woodblock Chocolate
Alison Rosenblum
Sr. Manager Alternative Channel Development, Tillamook County Creamery Association
Emma Evans
Co Founder, SnackFest + Portland Night Market
Leif Benson
Oregon's Culinary Ambassador, Oregon Department of Agriculture
Heather Arndt Anderson
Food Writer and Recipe Developer, OPB Superabundant
Amy Wong
Board Chair, Oregon Organic Coalition
Katie Bray
Executive Director, Cheese Association (Oregon Cheese Guild)
Noah Cable
Partner, Wellspent Market
Bill Oakley
Founder, Steamed Hams Society
Kristen Penner
Founder/CEO, North Coast Industries
Ivy Manning
Jim Morris
Marketing Communications Manager, Pear Bureau Northwest
Standards
In order to be eligible for a Good Food Award, snacks entries must meet the following standards:
- Made in the USA or US territories.
- Made with a balanced objective of local, organic and highest-quality.*
- Made with transparency in supply chain.**
- Free of high fructose corn syrup, palm oil and artificial ingredients, including colors, flavors and preservatives.
- Made with rBGH-free milk, where milk is used.
- Made with flours
- That have not been bleached or bromated
- Grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers.***
- Free of genetically modified ingredients.
- Made with spices that are certified organic, Fair Trade, or traceable to the farm level.*
- Must include more than one ingredient or be created in such a way that an agricultural product has been transformed into a value-added snack. If product entered is a single ingredient transformed to a value-added snack, single ingredient must be grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides or fertilizers.****
- Made by a crafter that is an upstanding member of the good food community, committed to equity and inclusion in all levels of their business,***** as exemplified through integrating these practices:
- Creating a safe and healthy work environment where employees receive a fair wage, are safe and respected at work and have access to the resources they need to keep themselves healthy.
- Offering a diversity, equity, and inclusion training to staff members and/or leadership annually.
- Thoughtfully acknowledging the heritage of culturally-specific food on websites, packaging and/or marketing materials.
- For the small percentage of Good Food community that operates on a significantly larger scale, meeting additional criteria related to board diversity, maternity leave and employment practices.*****
*Ingredients that make up less than 2% of the product (such as spices, sugar, or lemon juice) may be sourced from farther afield, or from a larger distributor.
**That is, an earnest attempt is made to verify the origin and production methods of the ingredient. If made with ingredients that are not grown domestically, a farm-direct or certified organic source has been sought and documentation of this search, including notes on calling distributors, is provided.
***Grains made grown with minimal synthetic inputs using IPM will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the type of crop and region of growth.
****Ingredients grown with minimal synthetic inputs using Integrated Pest management practices will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
*****Check if you are in the 2% of companies meeting the Good Food Foundation definition of large scale, and review the addition criteria on the Rules & Regulations page.
Subcategories
Additionally, snacks must fit in one of the following subcategories:
- Cookies & Baked Goods (e.g. brownies, shortbread, macarons, sweet breads – must be ready for retail)
- Jerky
- Dehydrated Fruit
- Popcorn (must be pre-popped)
- Granola
- Chips (e.g., corn, potato, veggie)
- Crackers & Crisps (excludes graham crackers or other sweet cookie-like crackers)
- Bars & Balls (e.g., granola, protein, energy)
- Hard Pretzels
- Snack Mixes (e.g., trail, nut, seed, or party!)
- Puffs (e.g., cheese, quinoa, rice, veggie)