Sheffield Hallam University has secured an international award for the design of an energy-bar wrapper.
Yumpa Bars won Best Sustainable Packaging at the International Food and Drink Event (IFE), World Food Innovation Awards for the compostable wrapper of their Cricket Flour natural energy bar, which was designed by the University's packaging experts and Parkside.
The ground-breaking energy bar made with high-protein cricket flour is the first snack bar in Europe to have a fully compostable wrapper.
John Kirkby, director of Design Futures, said: "Environmental responsibility is a key company ethic for Yumpa. Sustainable packaging materials are therefore vital to the product range and Yumpa’s commitment to achieving solutions that meet this requirement has been very impressive.
"The effort and extra investment required to push through the compostable film for the primary packaging was considerable but makes a real difference to the product. The final design for the wrappers, shelf ready packaging and postal box all illustrate that sustainable packaging solutions can still create a strong brand impact."
Tony Askins, the entrepreneur behind Yumpa, said: "It’s amazing to win this award. Consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of both food and packaging. As well as being healthy and tasty, insect protein is more sustainable than other animal protein sources, so the compostable wrapper fits perfectly with that message.
Design Futures came to work with Yumpa through the Sheffield Innovation Programme (SIP), which allows small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) from across the region to access academic expertise, facilities and resources to support and develop business growth.
