“The Salute to Excellence Awards are a great opportunity to not only bring awareness to store brands and what they offer, but a way to honor great retailers for their quality of products and inspire more trust for consumers in a world where they’re looking to store brands increasingly often,” says Suzanne Caputo, director of retail trade relations at PLMA.

Trends among this year's food and beverage winners included pickle flavors, Korean- and Latin-inspired dishes, better-for-you options, indulgent dessert and café flavors, and functional foods built around fiber and protein. 

Among the top winning products were:

Bakery and desserts

• Walmart Inc. (Marketside): Dill Pickle Hamburger Buns, Almond Vanilla Raspberry I Do Cake
• Associated Wholesale Grocers (Best Choice): Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies
• Smart & Final (First Street): Gourmet Raspberry Chip Ice Cream
• Sam's Club (Member's Mark): Chocolate Croissants
• Walmart Inc. (Bettergoods): Ube Coconut Breakfast Bread
• Sprouts Farmers Market (Sprouts): Organic Flour Tortillas Made with Avocado Oil & Flax

Food for the family

• Sam's Club (Member's Mark): Charcuterie Entertainment Tray
• Topco Associates (Tippy Toes Organic): Strawberry Teething Wafers
• Wakefern Food Corp. (Bowl & Basket): Egg & Cheese on Maple Griddle
• Sam's Club (Member's Mark): Chocolate Chip Protein Granola
• Albertsons Company (Signature Select): Cinnamon Crunch Cereal 12.2-oz
• Save A Lot (Bramley's): Crustless Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly Sandwiches
• Sam's Club (Member's Mark): Organic Fruit Snacks
• Weis Markets (Weis Quality): Korean Kimchi Style Pork Dumplings
• Metro Inc. (Irresistible): Artisan Sourdough Crust Pizza Mushroom and Truffle

Gluten-free

• Kroger (Simple Truth): Gluten Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nutritional and protein bars

• Kroger (Simple Truth): Chocolate Caramel Protein Bars

Protein products

• Giant Eagle (Giant Eagle): Protein French Toast sticks

Snacks and candy

• Casey's General Store (Casey's): All American Gummi Bears
• Gopuff (Crave Shoppe): Dill Pickle Cotton Candy 1-oz
• Aldi (Choceur): Choco Changer Chocolate Bar
• Aldi (Savoritz): Avocado Oil and Sourdough Crackers
• Aldi (Simms): Wagyu Beef Sticks
• 7-Eleven (Selección 7): Cacahuates Japones - Japanese Style Peanuts
• Grocery Outlet (SimplyGo): Roasted Salted Pistachios in Shell
• Harris Teeter (HT Traders): Spicy Dill Pickle Kettle Chips
• Misfits Market (Odds & Ends): Elote Popcorn
• Market 32 & Price Chopper (Pics): Sweet & Salty Almond Bars
• Walmart Inc. (Marketside): Peanut Butter and Caramel Cookie Pizza
• ShopRite/Wakefern Food Corp. (Bowl & Basket): Blueberry Pie Trail Mix

A full list of winners can be found online at this link.

Related: Private label continues to gain unit sales in U.S. market