New Flavors, New Value

How “Fun Food Taiwan” is Reimagining Taiwan’s Food Industry

Esther Tseng　/　photos Jimmy Lin

July 2026

中文

The award-winning companies in “Fun Food Taiwan” 2026 showed not only upgraded products, but also new thinking about transformation in the food industry.

Organized by the Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and implemented by the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, the seventh “Fun Food Taiwan” competition encouraged food companies to use modern technology to reinvent traditional flavors and bring low-carbon sustainability into dietary aesthetics. By communicating the value proposition of “Fun Food Taiwan 2.0,” the event not only showcased the depth and innovation of Taiwan’s food industry, but also served as a springboard for local brands seeking to enter international markets.

At the seventh Fun Food Taiwan competition, 235 products were submitted. Of these, 89 received Fun Food Taiwan Awards, while 17 earned the highest honors, including Gold, Silver, and Special Awards.

Fun Food Taiwan 2.0: Three Core Values

Launched in 2020 under the Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, during its first five years the Fun Food Taiwan selection emphasized “clean, high-value products,” “design,” and “sustainability.” In 2025, as the program entered its 2.0 stage in response to global consumer trends, it updated its three core value pillars (and evaluation criteria) to “product evolution,” “carbon reduction,” and “enriched experiences.”

New products, new experiences

Two Gold Award-winning products—Sooko Peeled Citrus Chips and Roasted Protein Lump (roasted egg whites seasoned with soy sauce)—together with the Special Award-winning Flying Fish Roe Sausage, stand out as examples of “product evolution” and “enriched experiences.”

York Y.T. Lin, director of Yizhan Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative, makers of the Citrus Chips, previously worked in technology manufacturing for automotive displays and charging stations. To help his younger brother modernize a traditional fresh-cut produce processing plant, Lin brought in cross-disciplinary technological thinking. He says conventional freeze-drying for fruits and vegetables had become too limited, so he developed a multi-frequency drying method and used AI algorithms to identify optimal drying conditions. This allowed locally grown tankan oranges to retain their original form and flavor. (It also works to make banana chips.) The product won an award at Fun Food Taiwan even before going on the market.

Meanwhile, Jack Yu, general manager of Sheriff Tea Egg, now in its 15th year, explains the thinking behind the development of the Roasted Protein Lump product. In response to a broader emphasis in dietary guidelines around the world on adequate protein intake, the company uses heat-roasting technology to turn egg whites into a prepared food, offering consumers another option for diversifying their protein sources.

Winning a Special Award for “enriched experiences,” the cooked Flying Fish Roe Sausage made by Andrewson Co., Ltd., stands out for more than its range of flavors. Chen Li-ting, a senior researcher at the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, notes that the award recognized the company’s integration of sausages with smart vending machines that accept mobile payments. Consumers can buy a hot grilled sausage at any time, expanding the channels through which they experience the product.

AI algorithms help identify optimal drying conditions for these Citrus Chips, preserving the original form and flavor of locally grown tankan oranges.

As health awareness rises, companies are moving beyond conventional egg-product processing to deliver concentrated, high-quality protein.

Tradition, reimagined for the shelf

“Product evolution” accounted for a decisive 50% of the evaluation, with an emphasis on food technology and innovation. Some products highlighted Taiwanese characteristics, such as rice crackers flavored with mullet roe. Others transformed venerable specialties, for example by reworking caozaiguo, a mugwort rice cake, into an alternative traditional-style pastry. One company that participates every year and that first won recognition in 2022 with Chihkan Sugar—a product inspired by the brown sugar filling in pengbing, a traditional puffed pastry—has continued to introduce new products, showing its capacity for ongoing innovation.

Across the global food industry, companies are assessing how to respond to the challenges of shelf-stable (room temperature) storage, net-zero carbon reduction, and sustainable transformation. Major brands are among those taking the lead. One example is Hsin Tung Yang’s Horizon Clean Label Shredded Pork with Laver, made without added soy powder, which won a Special Award for carbon reduction.

To break free from the limits of the cold chain and reach the world, shelf-stable products are becoming essential. Chen offers brown-rice crackers as an example: With their long shelf life, they can be used to sandwich eggs and produce, creating textural layers different from those of a burger while also expanding the ways the product can be used.

Reinventing traditional flavors and developing more shelf-stable, low-carbon, and sustainable foods is a global trend in the food industry.

A company has introduced grilled sausages sold in vending machines, with paper boxes designed to protect customers from heat.

Beyond the awards

For Taiwan, Fun Food Taiwan is not a one-off awards event that burns brightly and then fades. It is a systematic effort to build an ecosystem for industrial upgrading. In her speech at the event, Chen said with feeling: “The three elements are not lofty slogans beyond anyone’s reach. They are a compass that guides companies to examine themselves and keep pace with the times. Now, when you ask food companies which directions they want to move in, they can all name the key terms for their goods: product experience, application scenarios (culinary uses), and whether they meet sustainability requirements.”

One small nougat producer, for instance, specialized in handmade nougat made with natural dried fruit and no artificial colors or preservatives. After receiving guidance from the government, the company redesigned its packaging and even changed the product name. It has since entered the department-store gift-box market, with sales now approaching NT$10 million.

The Industrial Development Administration has also compiled digital catalogs in Chinese, English, and Japanese, and actively led companies onto international platforms such as Foodex Japan and Anuga in Cologne, Germany. In doing so, it has helped many refined but resource-limited local producers in Taiwan avoid having to face regulatory requirements and overseas marketing alone.