The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Health and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. The selected food products have all been produced in Slovenia and placed on the market in the last year. The main goals of the project are to raise awareness among consumers about how to more easily identify new or improved food products and to stimulate the economy in developing food products, especially those with a healthier nutritional composition.

Food production and processing are important parts of the Slovenian economy, while consumers’ preferences to buy Slovenian food products have also come to the forefront, says the Ministry of Agriculture. "The development of innovative and healthy food products helps the whole agri-food chain. It promotes the production and processing of locally grown foods, enables producers to market their products, and offers the consumer a wide range of products to choose from. This all benefits rural development and the development of companies as well as consumer health and our environment," said Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Jože Podgoršek while announcing the most innovative food products of the year.

"The epidemiological situation presented new challenges, and I am proud of the food production and processing sector as we have been able to maintain a stable food supply for consumers. I am also very pleased that, during this time, consumers have realised the importance of local food production and processing, which has been reflected in consumers’ habits, with more people deciding to buy local products and more local providers placing their products on the market with inventive marketing approaches," added the minister.