How to enter Ecotrophelia UK

There is no limit on the number of teams which can be entered from each university, provided all the team members are registered to study at a UK university (not PhD students). Teams may also be made up of students from several different universities, such as a group of friends or students on placement together.

 Competition timeline

Briefing for 2025 Competition

We hosted a briefing session for university tutors and companies with details of how to enter the competition, guidance for tutors on how to support and guide teams and how universities are incorporating this as part of their courses. Watch the video below:

Criteria for your food product

Your product must meet the following criteria:

• be fit for human consumption and aimed at consumers;
• be marketable in retail distribution or the restaurant and hotel sectors;
• be innovative in one or more aspects compared to food products already on the market. This innovation can come from the concept, and/or technology, and/or recipe, and/or packaging etc;
• take on board eco-innovation, which could mean the basic ingredients (eg origin, organic or with low carbon footprint) and/or packaging (eg recyclable) and/or manufacturing process (eg energy saving, water recycling) and/or distribution-logistics (eg new channels or direct consumer sales), making it easier for all businesses in the food production chain to integrate the environmental dimension;
• stand out for its taste, nutritional or other qualities;
• be capable of being  manufactured on an industrial scale, based on technical specifications (including ingredients, manufacturing process, cost price, business investment);
• conform to relevant regulations (including processing, additives and ingredients, packaging, labelling, advertising standards, food safety etc);
• be commercially relevant (eg suitable for a local and/or national and/or European market and meeting a demand, marketing plan, packaging, logistics);
• show an overall coherence across all the criteria set out above

Format and content of your technical dossier

Your product must be presented using an explanatory dossier limited to 20 A4 pages, in PDF format and written in English. Up to 10 pages of appendices may also be submitted. This explanatory dossier must contain the following information:

• a description of the food product: exact name, precise category (for example: savoury starters, desserts, ready-made meals, alcoholic drinks etc.…), general description, composition, the product's taste and nutritional qualities, technical specifications, manufacturing process, packaging, shelf life;
• description of the product's innovation and eco-innovative aspects;
• a summary of the marketing, sales and business plan;
• a description of the communications strategy specifying why consumers will desire/accept the product innovation, key messages, and media channels for consumers and/or buyers/distributors.

Please send your dossier (also including a hi-res product image and marketing info) along with your letter of commitment and summary entry form to EcotropheliaUK@ifst.org by 12 Noon on 2 May 2025.

More information

• How to produce the perfect dossier
• Entrepreneurship training 'Inspire 4 Ecotrophelia'
• Example portfolio
• Ecotrophelia Rules