Moving Forward to Select Five Future Food Innovations with Opportunities to Scale and Grow with CP Group at CP Innovation Exposition 2026
- 50 teams selected through an intensive first round, with 90% of products already on the market
- Innovations span Food - Drink - Snack - Supplement - Ingredient Technology.
"Healthylicious: Food - Drink - Snack Pitching Program", one of the key initiatives under CP Innovation Exposition 2026, has attracted strong interest from researchers, startups, SMEs and innovators nationwide. More than 50 teams submitted future food innovations under the concept "Innovative - Healthy - Delicious", spanning Food, Beverage, Snack, Supplement and Ingredient Technology. The entries reflect a wide range of ideas designed to address health, great taste, evolving consumer behavior and opportunities for business growth. A key highlight this year is that more than 90% of participating teams have fully developed products that are already commercially available in the market.
More Than 50 Teams Nationwide Reflect Diverse Future Food Trends, Market-Ready, Not Just Ideas
The competition entries span five core innovation categories: Food (26%), Beverage (24%), Snack (22%), Supplement (17%) and Ingredient Technology (11%). They range from health-focused food and beverages, alternative proteins, products for specific consumer segments, plant-based products and healthier snacks to innovations in ingredients and food technology.
What stands out is the diversity across products, ingredients, production processes and technology applications. Examples include fermented beverages, low-carbohydrate foods, local ingredients, and innovations that upcycle agricultural produce or by-products into new value. Together, these entries show that Thai food innovation is moving beyond new product development toward designing ingredients and processes that address consumer needs, business potential and sustainability at the same time.
Ingredient Technology is particularly noteworthy as an upstream innovation category with the potential to be developed into a wide variety of products and create broader impact across the food industry. Entries range from new formulations and functional ingredients to technologies that enhance nutritional value, production efficiency and product sustainability.
Another factor that distinguishes Healthylicious from typical innovation competitions is the business readiness of its applicants. Almost all entries are more than concepts or prototypes awaiting validation. They have already undergone some level of real consumer testing, with tangible cost structures, pricing and production processes in place. This means they are ready for immediate commercial development without having to start from scratch. Healthylicious is therefore not only a platform for discovering health-focused food innovations, but also a bridge connecting high-potential products with opportunities for market expansion and business growth.
Empowering Thai Entrepreneurs and Turning Homegrown Innovation into Real Competitiveness
From a social-impact perspective, Healthylicious serves as a mechanism to strengthen Thai entrepreneurs including researchers, startups and SMEs, helping them move from small-scale producers to competitive players in the future food industry. Participants gain access to product-development knowledge, market perspectives, expert networks and CP Group's business channels, providing smaller entrepreneurs with greater access to these opportunities.
Helping Thai-developed food innovations achieve real commercial growth can also create wider benefits, including job creation, greater value for Thai agricultural produce and a stronger national food-innovation ecosystem over the long term. Because many of these innovations are already ready to scale, their impact on consumers and the grassroots economy can be realized more quickly.
Mr. Pollaratch Wanichakul, Director, CPF Ventures, as Project Manager and Selection Committee Member for the Healthylicious Competition under CP Innovation Exposition 2026 said, "At Healthylicious, we are looking for differentiation and businesses that truly understand their customers. These are the two qualities that enable a business to go further and create real opportunities to scale with CP Group. We want to support entrepreneurs who are building their own businesses so we can grow together. When Thai entrepreneurs are stronger, Thailand's food industry becomes stronger too."
For the first-round selection, the judging panel will conduct a rigorous assessment across four key dimensions: Clarity, differentiation and product value (Product Concept); understanding of consumers and the market (Consumer Insight); potential for CP Group's further development (Offer Direction); and the team's preparedness to execute (Team Readiness).
Intensive Selection Continues to Identify Five Finalists for Business Growth Opportunities with CP Group
From more than 50 teams submitting entries to Healthylicious, the judging panel will select 30 teams to advance to the next round and join a Pitching Workshop on August 20, 2026. The workshop will strengthen their presentation capabilities, market perspectives and business models, while helping them explore opportunities to create synergy with businesses across CP Group.
The field will then be narrowed to 10 teams for the Pitching round on September 3, 2026, based on market potential, business-model strength, scalability and opportunities for further development. Five finalists will ultimately be selected for the Final Pitch on October 22, 2026 at CP Innovation Exposition 2026, where they will present their innovations to a panel of senior executives, opening the door to potential business collaboration with CP Group.
For more information about "Healthylicious", please visit: https://healthylicious-pitching.cpgroupsustainability.com/