Gofio producers from Lanzarote can now submit their applications for the 'Agrocanarias Gofios Official Contest 2024', organized by the Government of the Canary Islands, which can be submitted until July 26.
The contest, which will award prizes in seven categories and will be held in La Gomera in September, seeks to reaffirm the importance of gofio, a food with a designation of origin and Protected Geographical Indication, which makes it a unique and quality product.
The different varieties of gofio made in the Canary Islands with wheat, millet, barley, rye, oats, rice, beans, chickpeas and soybeans, or mixtures thereof, may participate in the contest. Therefore, four categories of participation have been established depending on the cereal used.
The production must have been carried out with mills in the archipelago that have the corresponding sanitary authorization, and must be present in the commercial channels with the miller's own commercial brand.
The participating gofios will be evaluated by a tasting panel using the so-called blind tasting system, that is, without identifying labels, to guarantee a correct analysis. The tastings will be held in two sessions, a preliminary one on September 18, and a final phase on September 19, both in La Gomera.
Seven awards at stake
The highest scoring productions will be eligible for the distinctions of Best Gofio of the Canary Islands, which may only be awarded to the production that reaches at least 70 points of those stipulated in the tasting sheet, Best Organic Gofio, which has achieved the highest score with at least 70 points, and Best Local Grain Gofio, made entirely with grains from the Archipelago and which has achieved the highest score in all categories.
Participants will also be eligible for the awards of Best Image and Presentation - for which the packaging and labeling of the product will be judged - Best Gofio Chosen by Our Elders and Best Gofio according to the Children's Jury. Also, at the proposal of the producers and as a novelty in this edition, a distinction will be awarded to the Best Salt-Free Gofio of the Canary Islands.
In addition to these prizes, the production that has achieved the highest score - provided that it reaches at least 80% of the points stipulated in the tasting sheet - will be distinguished with the grand gold medal. The productions that achieve at least 75% of the stipulated points will receive a gold medal and those that add at least 65% will obtain a silver medal.
Gofio producers must submit, before 2:00 p.m. on July 26, 2024, an application for registration for each of the samples submitted to the contest. This application must be accompanied by the documentation detailed in the text of the call and will be addressed to the ICCA through the model that will be published on the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty and on the website of the Institute.
This contest is part of the policy of promoting quality differentiated Canarian products developed by the Government of the Canary Islands and is part of the actions launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty to promote the production, consumption and marketing of Canarian Gofio.