ABP Food Group has achieved its strongest-ever performance at the Great Taste Awards, collecting 41 stars across 27 beef and lamb products in 2026. The results include two products awarded the highest three-star accreditation, both of which have progressed to Golden Fork adjudication.
Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, Great Taste is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading food and drink accreditation schemes. The 2026 awards attracted more than 15,000 entries from producers across 116 countries, with products assessed through a rigorous blind judging process by panels including chefs, buyers, food writers, retailers and producers.
Great Taste awards products on flavour, with one-, two- and three-star ratings acting as respected seals of approval for retail buyers, foodservice customers and consumers. In 2026, the highest three-star accreditation was awarded only to products judged to be “exquisite and extraordinary”, with all three-star winners invited into a further stage of judging for Golden Fork consideration.
ABP’s recognition spans its beef and lamb portfolio, including entries from Irish Country Meats, ABP’s dedicated lamb division. The 2026 awards included 27 ABP products receiving 41 stars in total. Of those, nine Irish Country Meats products achieved 12 stars, while 18 ABP beef products, including the Reserve Collection range, achieved 29 stars.
ABP’s Reserve Collection Irish Angus range performed particularly strongly, with seven products collecting 11 stars. Wagyu beef products also delivered a notable performance, accounting for nine stars, representing more than one-fifth of ABP’s overall star total.
The accolades reflect ABP’s continued commitment to quality, consistency and product excellence across its beef and lamb offering and underline the expertise of its teams and farmer suppliers in delivering premium-quality Irish produce for retail and food industry customers.
Jerome Aherne, Managing Director, ABP Ireland, said: “We are delighted to receive this recognition at the Great Taste Awards. These awards are an endorsement of the care, expertise and commitment that go into producing premium-quality Irish beef and lamb. They are also a testament to the dedication of our employees and farmer suppliers, whose focus on quality and consistency is reflected in this strong performance across our portfolio. To have two products progress to Golden Fork adjudication is a further source of pride and underlines the strength of our 2026 results.”
Daniel Lyons, Managing Director, Irish Country Meats, said: “This is a very strong endorsement for Irish Country Meats and for the quality of Irish lamb. To have nine Irish Country Meats products achieve 12 stars at the Great Taste Awards is a terrific result for our teams, our farmer suppliers and our retail partners. These awards recognise the care, innovation, skill and consistency that go into our lamb products by our suppliers and our team.”
Established in 1994, Great Taste is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and is regarded as one of the world’s largest and most respected food and drink accreditation schemes. Entries are judged by panels of industry experts and products are assessed without branding or packaging, with taste considered first and foremost alongside appearance, aroma, texture and mouthfeel.
