The World Food Awards 2011 have announced its list of finalists, ahead of the third annual awards ceremony.

the evnt takes place on Saturday 1st October at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

Finalists this year include Marley’s Mellow Mood, a range of philanthropic soft drinks created in the name of the iconic reggae legend, as well as Portuguese chicken kings Nando’s who are in the running for Best Packaging of the Year award, for their new range of Peri Peri sauces.

The Restaurant of the Year category promises to be a hotly fought contest, with the newly opened and widely acclaimed oriental Mayfair eatery Hakkasan, the Covent Garden branch of Jamie Oliver’s ‘Italian’ chain and independently owned Cheltenham based restaurant The Curry Corner, which shot to fame courtesy of Gordon Ramsey’s F Word, all vying for the top spot. Exotic fruit juice brand, Rubicon makes a play for the Jaguar Best Marketing Campaign following its hugely powerful and vibrant campaign around last years World Cup Cricket, while High Street supermarket giants Tesco and Asda battle it out for East End Foods Best National Retailer.

The Awards, now in their third year have been created by the World Foods Association and recognise not only the incredible growth within this sector, but also the diversity of cultures and communities that the industry is inspired by.

The Awards are open exclusively to companies specialising, promoting or stocking products from the following countries: Asian, Oriental, African, Afro-Caribbean, European, East-European, Middle Eastern, South American and Mediterranean.

As the Awards enter the home stretch, the high-profile panel of judges, that includes respected industry experts, Adam Leyland, Editor of The Grocer, Simon Numphud, Head of AA inspectors and Mintel’s Director of Innovation & Insight David Jago, start the final winners selection. KPMG’s Sheel Gill will again audit the judge’s results to ensure complete confidence in the judging process.