The list of most innovative foods include spelt bread with chestnut by retailer Spar, Enemon wheat bran with buckwheat by Jata Emona food group, and MU smoothies by Ljubljanske mlekarne dairy.

Awards were also given out to Pure protein-enriched pasta by Pekarna Pečjak bakery, Slovenska potica walnut roll by retailer Tuš and Grunt fresh vegetables by Eta Kamnik.

This was the second year that the Nutrition Institute gave out the awards as part of a project supported by the Health Ministry.

The goal is to encourage creativity in the development of food products so as to optimise the products' nutritional value and make them more consumer-friendly, according to Igor Pravst of the institute.

Among those in attendance at today's ceremony were Health Minister Milojka Kolar Celarc and Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Dejan Židan.

Kolar Celarc said her ministry would continue to support activities promoting a larger variety of foods with improved nutritional value.

"Above all, we want to encourage producers of cheaper products, which are also the most popular among consumers, to improve nutritional value."