12 August 2026
ZRO Group LTD and Choc Nibbles shortlisted for two World Confectionery Awards
We’re delighted to announce that ZRO Group Ltd and Choc Nibbles have both been shortlisted in the prestigious World Confectionery Awards 2026, with finalists announced by Confectionery Production editor Neill Barston ahead of this year’s World Confectionery Conference.
The dual recognition marks an important milestone in our journey.
ZRO Group Ltd has been shortlisted in the Sustainability Initiative category, recognising our work to redefine how surplus confectionery is managed. The ZRO System helps manufacturers identify the highest-value outcome for surplus food – keeping more food within the human food chain through prevention, redistribution, reformulation and repurposing before recovery is considered. It’s an approach built around one simple belief:
If something was made to be food, its highest value is to stay food.
At the same time, Choc Nibbles has been shortlisted for Finished Product Innovation, recognising the successful evolution of one of the UK’s longest-established surplus confectionery brands. The recent relaunch has strengthened the brand’s rescued ingredient story, introduced recyclable paper packaging, expanded flavour choices and retail distribution, while continuing to demonstrate that products created from surplus ingredients can deliver outstanding quality, consumer appeal and commercial success.
Although shortlisted in two different categories, both nominations reflect the same philosophy.
For more than three decades, Choc Nibbles has demonstrated that surplus confectionery ingredients can become products consumers genuinely love. Today, ZRO Group is taking that thinking further, working with manufacturers to retain more value from surplus food and helping shape a food system where more food fulfils its highest purpose.
We’re incredibly grateful to Neill Barston and everyone at Confectionery Production for recognising our work and for continuing to provide a platform that celebrates innovation across the global confectionery industry.
The conference will also see our Managing Director, Matthew Stephenson, take to the stage to share the thinking behind the evolution from Sweetdreams to ZRO Group and explore why we believe the future of sustainability lies in retaining more value from the food we already produce.
We’d also like to congratulate all of this year’s finalists. The standard of innovation across the sector continues to inspire, and we’re proud to be among such outstanding companies.
The winners will be announced during the World Confectionery Conference on 10 September 2026, and we’re looking forward to joining colleagues from across the industry for what promises to be another fantastic event.
Whatever the outcome, being recognised in both categories is a proud moment for everyone involved. From Choc Nibbles to ZRO Group, our mission remains the same: helping ensure more food stays food.
