Four new refrigerated and frozen foods were among 18 winners in a new products competition atKosherfest 2009, held Oct. 27-28 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J.

Officials say a panel of five judges sampled hundreds of new kosher food entries.  Product entries were judged on the basis of newness, quality, taste, saleability and retail price point.

Refrigerated and frozen food winners included:

BEST KOSHER ORGANIC -- Organic Batter Blasters, refrigerated spray pancake and waffle batter fromBatter Blaster LLC, Austin, Texas.

BEST CHEESE OR DAIRY -- Lasagna Florentine entree distributed byGet Healthy America!, Plainview, N.Y.

BEST FINE FOOD FROM ISRAEL -- Falafel with Tehina filling frozen entree fromBlue & White Foods LLC, Astoria, N.Y.

BEST MEAT, POULTRY OR SEAFOOD -- Chicken Breast Cutlets fromKosher Valley, Plainville, N.Y. Kosher Valley is a joint venture between Pegasus Capital Advisors, L.P. and The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.

New product contest judges includedYakov Yarmove, business development manager, Ethnic Marketing and Specialty Foods, SUPERVALU (Eden Prairie, Minn.);Joe Plueger, director of grocery DPI-Specialty Foods, Midwest (Arlington Heights, Ill.); Marty Stein, account manager, Tree of Life Inc., (St. Augustine, Fla.); Jacob Rusanov, lifestyle category manager, Wakefern Food Corporation/Shoprite (Elizabeth, NJ); andJeff Nathan, chef/proprietor Abigael’s On Broadway, New York, N.Y., cookbook author and cooking show host).

Kosherfest is co-produced by Diversified Business Communications of Portland, Maine, and Menachem Lubinsky, president and CEO of LUBICOM.