Food producers in County Carlow are being invited to promote and showcase the county’s very best produce at the 2015 Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards. The prestigious ‘Oscars of Irish Food’ will this year see more than 2,000 Irish products blind-tasted and scored by over 350 judges over the course of the competition which culminates on the first weekend of October in Dingle, Co. Kerry.

With the closing date for entries just weeks away, local producers are being offered the opportunity to participate in this year’s awards. The Blas awards carry with them a huge amount of prestige and winning produce is used as a quality benchmark for Irish produce amongst national and international retailers and distributors alike.

The awards are about recognising passionate, dedicated producers who are serious about marketing their produce at home and abroad and have a proven benefit for producers who take part. The closing date for entries this year in Wednesday, 17 June and entries can be completed at www.irishfoodawards.com

A survey of the 2014 participants found that more than 50% of producers believe government support has been vital to their business development, both from the Local Enterprise Offices for smaller producers and from Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland for the bigger international operators. Carlow LEO has come on board for the first this year and is searching for this year’s Best in County and Best in Farmers’ Market awards which are sponsored by Carlow LEO.

Carlow producers have always had a strong presence at the Irish Food Awards and the search is now on for this year’s best products and producers in the county as well as Carlow entries which will vie for national awards.

Final judging at the Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Award will take on 1 October and the winners will announced on 3 October as part of the Dingle Peninsula Food Festival 2015. Entries to date have exceeded all expectations, particularly from the smaller producers, hoping to draw attention to the quality of their produce by winning at the Oscars of the Irish Food Industry. Over 1,000 entries from around the country have already been received.

For more information, see www.irishfoodawards.com