Cereals & Grains Association
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Submit an "Intent to Enter" by April 1, 2016

  1. Submit a copy of the 2016 PDC Entry Form to the PDC Chair Sara Moayedi (sara.moayedi@ndsu.edu), via e-mail to communicate the team’s intent to participate.
  2. Develop an original food product containing at least one major ingredient from cereal/legume (e.g., barley, corn, oat, rice, rye, sorghum, wheat, oilseeds, pulses, etc.).

By June 3, 2016

A report of the developed product must be e-mailed to the PDC chair by 11:59 p.m. C.S.T. on June 3, 2016. Reports received after June 3, 2016, will not be accepted.

Report criteria
The report must be two (2) pages or less (not including the cover page, references list, and the appendix pages for photographs of the product). The report must be a word file with a font size of 12-point and single spaced with 1" margins (top, bottom, left, and right). The cover page should contain the product and team information (product name, school name, team members’ names, and Cereals & Grains Association membership ID numbers). The report should contain the following aspects:

  1. Introduction/justification
  2. Product description
    • Ingredients
    • Formulation
    • Nutritional values/health benefits
  3. Processing/packaging procedures
  4. Safety/shelf life
  5. Market
    • Target market
    • Marketing potential/plan
  6. References

A picture of the product can be attached on an additional page.

Cereals & Grains Association and the Student Association reserve the right to share the following information with the sponsors:

  1. Introduction/justification
  2. Product description
  3. Contact information of the student teams

By July 15, 2016

Five (5) finalists will be notified via e-mail. All the teams will be informed of the total points of their own report.

Finalists should prepare the following items before the 2016 annual meeting:

  1. A poster (46” x 42”) to be presented at the PDC poster judging session during the 2016 Annual Meeting in Savannah, GA, U.S.A. October 23–26, 2016. The poster should include:
    1. Product description/formulation
    2. Nutritional label
    3. Shelf life
    4. Processing/packaging
    5. Marketing aspects
    6. Any other relevant information regarding the product
  2. A PowerPoint file for a 10-minute oral presentation
  3. A tasting session after the oral presentation. Provide enough servings of the product for judges in the tasting session and an example of the package.

Finalists are responsible for the utensils (e.g., cups, dishes, forks, etc.) needed in the tasting session. Appliances must be provided by the teams as Cereals & Grains Association does not furnish them. There are restrictions as to what can be brought in, and permission must be obtained from the facility for fire marshal issues. If your team will be bringing an appliances (e.g., microwave, blender, refrigerator, etc.), please contact the PDC chair, Sara Moayedi (sara.moayedi@ndsu.edu) by August 15, 2016 for approval.

Cereals & Grains Association and the Student Association do not take any responsibility for complications that may result from the product tasting. Entry into this competition means a release of Cereals & Grains Association and the Student Association from any liability for damage incurred as a result of this competition.

JUDGING CRITERIA

  1. Judges (four to seven) will be representatives from the food industry who are members of Cereals & Grains Association.
  2. The total points granted by the judges will determine the winners.
  3. In case of a tie, judges will be asked to provide a final decision.
  4. The top five (5) teams to compete during the Cereals & Grains Association Annual Meeting will be selected by the judges according to the two-page report. The reports will be scored using a 100-point scale (Fig. 1).

Figure 1
Criteria Points
Originality 15
Technical Feasibility 15
Marketing Plan/Potential 15
Safety/Shelf Life 10
Justification 10
Product Description 10
Process Description 10
Organization 5
Clarity 5
Interest Generated 5
Total Points 100
  1. The finalists competing during the Cereals & Grains Association Annual Meeting will be evaluated using a 200-point scale. The points will be distributed as shown (Fig. 2).

Figure 2
Category Criteria Points
Poster Originality 15
Technical Feasibility 10
Marketing Plan/Potential 10
Product Description 10
Process Description 5
Organization 5
Safety/Shelf Life 5
Interest Generated 5
Total Points 60
Product Sample Product Appearance 25
Flavor/Aroma 25
Texture/Physical Sensory 25
Packaging Appearance 15
Packaging Functionality 10
Total Points 100
Oral Presentation Originality 10
Clarity 10
Organization 15
Interest Generated 5
Total Points 40