RIO RICO, AZ – SunFed is launching three new products to its ever-evolving program, all of which will be revealed at the upcoming PMA Fresh Summit Expo in Atlanta, GA this weekend.
One of the latest additions is Melonheads™, a seedless watermelon program available in both organic and conventional options. Melonheads™ are launching soon with new boxes and labels in the coming weeks.
Brett Burdsal, Director of Marketing at SunFed, was excited to debut this new product to expo attendees.
“We are continuing our pioneering work with unique melon varieties as we continue our slow launch of our Melonheads™ program,” he said.
Yum Melons™, another new unique melon program originally grown in the south of France, has currently been undergoing commercial trials with select retailers. SunFed’s objective is to answer the continued demand for versatile, new, one-of-a-kind fruit varieties as consumers search for healthier ways to enhance their meal and snacking options, according to a press release.
Mark Cassius, Chief Innovation Officer, said that the Yum Melon™ is "truly something different."
“This melon variety has an amazing flavor and aroma that when coupled with its distinct sweetness, really delivers a great, consistent melon experience every time you eat it,” said Cassius.
Last, but not least, SunFed will also introduce its new year-round Perfect Limes™ program as part of its inaugural entry into tropical produce. Grown on family-owned farms in the fertile growing areas of Mexico, these limes are a natural progression for SunFed. 
They will be offered in a 10-pound and a 40-pound box, designed with the company’s signature vibrant 60’s pop art-inspired packaging.
“Limes continue to increase in demand and this expansion of our program compliments our growing line of fresh produce,” said COO Matt Mandel.
Perfect Organic® labels, which promote the USDA certified-organic nature of SunFed items and ensure the produce is rung up correctly and with ease at the register, will also be on display this weekend.
“We want to help boost organic growth in produce departments,” said Burdsal. “Our team realizes that challenges arise with mislabeling as well as identification of the products at checkout. Our desire is to address those issues earlier in the process, before they affect the bottom line.”
Along with the push in organics, SunFed will continue to keep Fair Trade Certification top-of-mind for its growers and marketers as the team continues to address the conscientious retailer and consumer.
Join SunFed at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit to check out all these new programs, as well as a new booth created from a repurposed shipping container.
“This new design aligns with our sustainability goals and initiatives,” continued Cassius. “We welcome everyone to stop by booth 2259 and check out our new platforms and programs."
We’ll see you there!
SOUTHWESTERN U.S. & MEXICO - More rain for the southwestern U.S. into Wednesday, forecasters say, with showers and thunderstorms venturing into California, Arizona, Northern Mexico, and even further east into Texas.
"The storm system over the southwestern U.S. is pulling moisture from more humid areas and into the region, resulting in a significant increase in activity," AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Duffey said. "Showers and thunderstorms across the area will be scattered but some could produce rainfall rates of 1 inch or more per hour.”
Thunderstorms will be spotty throughout the Southwest, but the slow moving nature of the system may lead to rounds of thunderstorms hitting the same areas for multiple days, AccuWeather reports. Residents and growers in the regions should also keep an eye out for potential flash flooding, Duffey continued.
While the showers and thunderstorms will mainly be concentrated in the four corner states, this storm system will produce spotty showers across the southeastern portion of the state California as well, leaving the potential for some flooding and muddy terrain.
Duffey also expects the system to collide with a tropical system as it moves into the western Gulf of Mexico.
"The combination of the energy of the Southwest system, with the large swath of moisture moving inland from the Gulf, should lead to widespread heavy rainfall over New Mexico, Texas and the surrounding region,” he continued.
While this specific storm will not put significant dent in the drought, as we’ve previously reported, California and its surrounding states are expecting significant precipitation through winter due to El Niño.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - It’s hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner. With Thanksgiving a little over a month away, there’s no better time than now to make sure your consumers know that the holidays don’t have to be as stressful as ever.
Here’s one great example to promote the sweet potato category during the holiday rush. This retailer set up a display brimming with California-grown Country Sweet Produce sweet potatoes and Bako Sweet® steamer bags to attract consumer attention during this all-important time of year.
When merchandised properly like the photograph above, retailers can take advantage of the added value and quality this sweet potato offering brings to their program.
The Bako Sweet® steamer bags cooks sweet potatoes perfectly in ten minutes, dramatically reducing the amount of time it usually takes by over 80 percent.
With these new steamer bags, consumers can achieve the same great taste and receive the same health benefits with significantly less effort. Touting themselves as California-grown, this innovation is a big hit during the holidays. Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin B-6, vitamin A, carotene and potassium, rich in antioxidants, vitamins C and E, and are also a great source of manganese and dietary fiber.
“We continue to be impressed with the merchandising and displays by some of our retail partners,” added President Michael Valpredo. “Being a newer item, it takes some push at the store level, but we are all starting to see some very positive results.”
Country Sweet Produce is working around the clock to make sure the holidays are sweeter and as stress-free as they can be. This is one in-demand category you don’t want to miss out on promoting this year to help boost sales at store-level.
HICKORY, NC - After training, planning, and fundraising, 38 riders collected in front of Lowes Foods in Hickory, NC, geared up and ready to ride for produce.
"Thank you so much for doing this; remember, you're doing it for the kids, so thank you and have fun!" Tom Stenzel, President and CEO of United Fresh, announced to the procession before it pulled out to start the 75 mile first leg of the four day trek to Atlanta, GA.
Despite frost on the rooftops, foggy breath, and being up as early as 6 a.m., it was a fun, playful atmosphere for the starting line to 2015's Tour de Fresh.
"We had a chilly, but enthusiastic, start to today's ride and our whole team is enjoying the sunshine, fall colors and hills," Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms, tells me. "We are looking forward to a delicious, and well-deserved dinner tonight, sponsored by our friends at New Sprout Organic Farms at the Pisgah Brewing Company in Black Mountain, NC."
Well-deserved is right. Steep hills and narrow roads makeup the beautiful North Carolina countryside as members of the industry from executives of companies to employees at the start of their careers join the 275 mile, bi-state ride.
The atmosphere at each stop, however, is all jokes and fun. Whether it's the strong support crew, made up four vans and two cars that wait periodically at pit stops to provide food and water, the mechanical team that checks every bike every night for safety, or the group supporting each other toward a good cause, it made for an enthusiastic first day.
As of 5:30 PM (Pacific) on October 19, the Tour de Fresh has raised $137,418 towards placing salad bars in schools across the country, a number that continues to increase even in crunch time. Stay tuned as we continue to follow these amazing riders into PMA Fresh Summit on Thursday, October 22.
DELTA, BC – Village Farms is looking forward to celebrating 25 years of business by introducing its limited edition Heavenly Villagio Marzano Heritage bag to PMA Fresh Summit attendees this week.
Showcasing the journey of the company over the past 25 years, these graphics were created exclusively for Village Farms by artist Shirley Chapman. This limited edition art will be featured in the booth along with the company’s Founder and CEO’s father who inspired a Paisano Recipe series for Village Farms. “Paisano,” or countryman recipes, are simple, easy-to-prepare dishes that highlight the cooking versatility of the exclusive and authentic Heavenly Villagio Marzano tomato, according to a press release.
With the PMA Fresh Summit expo coming shortly, there’s plenty to be excited about as Village Farms moves into its 25th year. As we previously reported, Village Farms is now the exclusive marketer of all Great Northern products. This agreement will increase the company’s distribution in the central and Mid-Atlantic markets for both USA and Canada.
“As the company evolves with exclusive authentic varieties and extensive partnerships along with our innovative branding we look forward to sharing these exceptional growth opportunities with our retail partners and consumers,” said Doug Kling, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
Having also debuted exclusive varieties such as two new cherry varieties, Cabernet Estate Reserve and Cherry no. 9: Fall in Love Again, Village Farms says it has yielded great success so far this year and looks forward to even more next year.
Debi Street, Director of Variety Development & Innovation, said that “the quest for flavor is a company mission, as well as providing attributes such as longer shelf-life that deliver value throughout our customer supply chain.”
Visit Village Farms at booth #1665 at PMA Fresh Summit to see what makes this company “Distinctive, Notorious, Authentic.”
BAKERSFIELD, CA – Thirsty? We are. With PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta, GA just days away, Grimmway Farms is gearing up for the show with a new initiative to refresh its TRUE Organic juice line and also to introduce four new organic, non-GMO juices to share with buyers and attendees.
To celebrate Grimmway’s 1st anniversary of TRUE Grimmway Farms organic juice, the company is rebranding its organic juices to simply read “TRUE ORGANIC”, placing a greater emphasis on the organic nature of its super-premium juice offerings.
“We received a great deal of positive feedback from consumers and retailers alike praising the flavor profile and organic nature of our juices. With the growing demand for organics and through the feedback of our retailers, we placed a greater emphasis on the organic component of our juices. This was accomplished by incorporating 'Organic' into the name of our product,” notes Kellen Stailey, National Merchandising Director at Grimmway Farms.
The four new TRUE flavors that Grimmway will be debuting are Kaleifornia, Blissful Beets, Citrus Carrot, and seasonal Apple Cherry Harvest. All are available nationwide as part of the TRUE Organic Juice line.
To break down these flavor profiles for you, Grimmway Farms shared these descriptions in a recent press release:
- Kaleifornia is an exciting new green juice, providing a refreshing medley of kale, chard, lettuce, orange, lemon, pear and apple.
- Blissful Beets is packed with Vitamin A and Iron and delivers a juicy, balanced blend of beets, carrots, apples and lemon.
- Citrus Carrot is a thirst-quenching combo of grapefruit and orange citrus juices bursting with Vitamin C, paired with beta-carotene rich carrots and apples.
- Apple Cherry Harvest is a tart cherry smoothie balanced with the natural sweetness of apples and bananas, blended to perfection with our farm grown carrot carrots and beets.
Along with the brand refresh, the new TRUE ORGANIC line brings the recognizable USDA Organic label to the front and center of the bottle allowing for the organic component to be easily identified at retail.
TRUE to their founding flavor principals, the new juices are certified organic, gluten-free, and sweetened only with fruits and vegetables - no sugar added. These juices are produced by the Cal-Organic farming operation producing quality organic vegetables year-round, a division of the family-owned and operated Grimmway Farms.
For more on the company's consumer engagement, you can check out Grimmway's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Looking to try all 9 flavors of TRUE Organic Juices at PMA Fresh Summit? Check out Grimmway booth #3053. See you all there!
ATLANTA, GA - With PMA less than a week away, AndNowUKnow wanted to take the time to highlight each of the 20 products nominated for PMA’s coveted Impact awards this year. Winners will be announced from the 20 finalists this weekend at Fresh Summit in Atlanta, GA. Check out our second and last installment of the 10 featured finalists below.
Mucci Farms’ Naked Leaf - Lettuce & Herbs Sleeve with Retail-Ready Display Box
Showcased in a high graphic sleeve for 1 living lettuce head and 2 and 4oz herbs, Mucci’s Naked Leaf offering are shipped in a retail ready patented merchandising display box. The products’ pre-printed, high impact, and vibrant graphics feature high quality and easy to prepare recipe imagery to stand out on store shelves and inspire consumers. The products are complete with a convenient handle for consumers and a U-Shape Patent Seal that holds in water and increases shelf life.
“We wanted to create a new sleeve that offered a fresh appeal and aromatic experience for living, as well as being easy to handle,” Mucci says. “These products are shipped with root in-tact and in water, therefore, offering extended shelf-life. We also wanted to offer retailers an easy option for receiving the product as well as merchandising it lettuce and herbs with the collapsible-pop-up display box.”
Mucci Farms’ Hot Shots Mixed Hot Peppers – Re-sealable Tray with Cardboard Pocket Sleeve
This new package for mixed or single variety hot peppers comes in a unique cardboard stand up sleeve with a re-sealable film. Providing re-seal convenience offers the consumer the flexibility for continued use and storage. The product comes with a preprinted pocket, environmentally friendly ink, and recycled paper, with high impact graphics and QR code to link to recipe.
“We’ve focused on a variety of hot peppers and increased trends of consumers looking for spice and flavor,” Mucci says. “Popularity of peppers has increased in Asian populations. We also wanted to create a package with maximal space for branding, with clear visibility of the product.”
Mucci Farms’ Veggies to Go™ – Double Compartment Tray with Re-sealable Label
Featuring kid-friendly graphic Mucci’s new Veggies to Go™ trays offer a fresh look and clear visibility of product. These trays are re-sealable and easy to peel open for ease of use, promoting convenience and healthy eating options for the on-the-go snacking.
“Our focus is on healthy, on-the-go snacking for kids and parents,” Mucci adds. “This packaging comes as industry and market trend move towards small/snack-sized specialties. It also helps us emphasize or commitment to environmental sustainability and focus on environmentally conscious consumers.”
Mucci Farms’ Natural Organics – Eco-Friendly Tray
Mucci’s new pre-printed kraft tray comes with flow wrap for a more natural, organic look and feel. Fully recyclable and made of 100% recycled content, Mucci’s packaging is both sustainable and bio-degradable. The packaging is pre-printed with organic certification and verified logos, offering consumers increased product knowledge, while the top flap panel and extra real-estate enhances branding and product information.
“We wanted to improve durability, product protection, and freshness with the macro-perforated film,” Mucci says. “This product is in line with the trend of moving from products typically sold in a plastic clamshell or tray and the trend of increased organic products”
Mucci Farms’ eat brighter! – Mini Cucumbers & Bella SweetsTM Mini Bell Peppers - Stand-Up, Resealable Bag
Mucci’s “eat brighter! – sesame street character bags” are clear, flexible, stand-up and re-sealable. They have a re-enforced handle with high-graphic pre-printing offering a fresh look and clear visibility of product with kid-friendly graphics.
“We were very inspired by the eat brighter! campaign and wanted to offer a kid friendly package that has a fresh look and offers good product visibility,” Mucci says. “It was important to us to enhance product shelf life and freshness with this product.”
Naturipe Farms’ New Heat Seal (Peel & Reseal) Fresh Blueberry Package
Naturipe’s Heat Seal packaging hold fresh blueberries in a heat sealed lid container with a peel to open and reseal to close top for easy access. This function allows consumers to take what is needed, while the remaining blueberries are sealed in container that retains freshness, flavor and overall condition.
“First of all, we reduced the amount of plastic in each container to align with our sustainability initiatives and objectives,” Naturipe explains. “This type of seal gives a more secure closure versus larger clamshells, which are more difficult to close and keep closed. The industry has relied on pressure buttons and taping to provide closure, however, this system incorporates convenience and a secure closure to help Farm to Store handling in addition to the improved freshness for consumers.”
Naturipe Farms’ New “On-the-Go” Fresh Blueberry Blends
Naturipe is also introducing two new unique fresh flavor blends to its Ready to Eat Fresh Snacking line—Mango/Blueberry and Grape/Blueberry.
“Creating these new flavor combinations was a natural next step to our already successful Fresh Blueberry Snacks,” continues Naturipe. “The Mango and Grape, both great compliments to blueberries served not only to differentiate our On-the-Go snacks from other similar product but to offer consumers a new innovative combination for their taste buds.”
Ocean Mist Farms: Season & Steam Kalettes
Ocean Mist Farms, has expanded its line new Season & Steam Kalettes, packaged in an innovative Steamfast microwavable pack that gives users the option to open the bag, pre-season the contents to their flavor preference, reseal with the zip lock, and steam by microwave all within the same bag. The SteamFast packaging is gusseted for a stand-up, “face forward: retail shelf presentation” and has a suggested retail price of $3.29-$3.99 depending on the region.
“According to Nielsen Perishables Group FreshFacts scan data; total US sales of Brussels sprouts and Kale continue to grow for the third year in a row,” says Ocean Mist. “Season and Steam Kalettes offer consumers a convenient way to add fresh produce to their diet and a new cooking solution.”
Red Sun Farms’ Organic Grapes in Top Sealed Earthcycle Fiber Base
Red Sun Farms’ Organic Grapes will now be packed in an Earthcycle fiber base. Fully compostable, recyclable, with a biodegradable base, this top sealed package uses a 90% reduction on plastic.
“Our goal is to provide shoppers with an eco-friendly - environmentally conscious packaging option,” Red Sun says. “Organic produce sales have risen and continue to rise in popularity. The Organic shopper is different than the conventional shopper, so we wanted to provide them with an alternative to plastic packaging. Made in North America our bio Earthcycle base satisfies this need.”
Windset Farms & Apio’s BreatheWay® Laminate Pouch for Cocktail Cucumbers
This is the first laminate pouch for Windset with BreatheWay® membranes that are pre-applied during bag manufacture. This sealed package regulates produce respiration, prolonging shelf-and adapting for use on most produce commodities. It is a unique modified atmosphere technology for retail because it can adapt to variable temperatures. BreatheWay® is developed by the Apio Technology Group, and the High WVTR materials and pouch manufactured by Chin-Canada Industries Ltd.
“Windset Farms® was looking for ways to prolong the shelf-life of cocktail cucumbers,” the company explains. “This delicate product can lose moisture during storage in pouches with vent holes. In addition to shelf-life gain, BreatheWay® use results in almost no product weight/moisture loss.”
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow next week to see who wins big at the PMA Impact awards.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Bi-Lo Supermarkets has announced that the company has cut prices on more than 1,000 items, including fresh produce, dairy, meat, and more in the company’s New Regular Pricing Program.
“Research consistently tells us that customers are seeking lower prices, wherever they shop, particularly those hardworking families shopping on a budget,” said Ian McLeod, President and CEO of Southeastern Grocers in a statement. “We are listening to our customers and helping them reduce the cost of the weekly shop by lowering the prices on over 1,000 items that three out of every four customers have bought in the last month.”
According to a report from the Charleston Post Courier, the change will occur at all 182 of the chain’s stores. Price will be reduced by an average of 17 percent, with some items being reduced as much as 53 percent off the regular price. Officials from Bi-Lo also noted that he items could potentially be marked down further when they are on sale.
The reduced-price items will span every department of the supermarket, according to the Courier, including produce, dairy, meat, and dry, frozen and home goods. Shoppers will see special tagging on the lower-priced items throughout October.
This announcement comes just a few months after fellow Southern grocery chain, Food Lion, lowered prices for its produce, fresh food, and other programs. This took place in all 1,100 of the chains locations.
ATLANTA, GA – Sunkist is gearing up for an exciting showing at PMA Fresh Summit this year with the first of this year’s seasonal citrus crop, as well as a host of tasty citrus dishes and cocktails.
Sunkist Smiles®, seedless, easy-to-peel California mandarins, are one of the most highly anticipated varieties to be showcased at Sunkist’s booth.
Julie DeWolf, Sunkist’s Director of Retail Marketing, said that the easy-peel category is incredibly important in produce departments this time of year.
“Highlighting the convenience and kid-friendly attributes of mandarins to consumers at store level can help retailers build excitement and sales of this popular variety,” she said. “Sunkist offers a variety of highly customizable point-of-sale materials to help convey this messaging and educate consumers about what makes mandarins, and all seasonal citrus, so special.”
Sunkist will also be showing this year’s crop of Meyer lemons at the show, along with other specialty lemons including Seedless and Zebra™. To learn more about Meyer lemons and how to drive sales of these newer varieties, check out our previous story by clicking here.
For retailers looking to take advantage of Lunar New Year promotions, Sunkist will offer the first of this year’s Navel orange crop, along with its 2016 “Year of the Monkey” Lunar New Year carton and 10-pound Navel cartons. Sunkist pummelos are also now in season and can be used in conjunction with Sunkist’s educational display unit to teach consumers how to best enjoy this unique specialty citrus variety.
Sunkist is also ramping up production of organic citrus varieties, including lemons and Navel oranges. This season, Sunkist will introduce organic Minneola tangelos.
Joan Wickham, Manager, Advertising and Public Relations, said she was excited to meet with trade and showcase the company’s current marketing initiatives along with fresh varieties that are growing in consumer demand.
“PMA Fresh Summit comes at an exciting time for us at Sunkist, because the show aligns perfectly with the beginning of our citrus season,” she said.
Chef Jill Davie will sample the latest citrus recipes, such as Orange Bowls with Chicken, Noodles and Peanut Sauce, and Basil Shrimp Cakes with Sunkist® Lemonaise Sauce and Cucumber Slaw.
Lemon-infused water will be served in the morning, along with a Sunkist Spiked Southern Patio-Cooler tea-based punch in the afternoon, recipe courtesy of Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen®.
To see all this and more, visit Sunkist’s booth #2247 at PMA Fresh Summit 2015 in Atlanta, GA or check out the cooperative’s new website below!
OXNARD, CA - "Back before kale, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts came to be coined as ‘Super Greens,’ and before the ANDI scale carried the force that it is known for today, there was San Miguel Produce.
"Early on in my career after I had started AndNowUKnow, Jan Berk, COO of San Miguel Produce, pulled me aside and offered a few insights into a category that would come to be known, and widely harnessed across the culinary and health and wellness landscapes, as Super Greens. Years later, I watched this category explode at foodservice and retail, and with consumers and chefs alike. Now you can buy a t-shirt from Whole Foods with thick, green font exclaiming ‘Kale.’ How far we have come, and how much I appreciate the woman who saw the trend before it was one. Jan joins us to discuss the Super Greens surge and the evolving architecture of the category."
- Robert Lambert CEO and Founder of ANUK and The Snack Magazine
Check out the full article in The Snack magazine by clicking here, or continue reading the full piece below.
To request a copy of The Snack magazine, click the green button below.
San Miguel Produce was founded in 1975, with its beginnings in staple commodity California produce items like celery, broccoli and lettuce. In 1990, the company began to shift its focus to the dark leafy greens commodities, offering a direct store delivery bunch greens program to Southern California retailers like Ralphs, Vons, Stater Bros., and Albertsons. We went on to launch Cut ‘N Clean Greens in 1995, the original fresh-cut packaged dark leafy greens, and by 1999, as consumer buying behaviors began to transform, our team shifted 100 percent of our focus to specialty greens. Staying ahead of the greens curve, our Cut ‘N Clean Greens line launched the first full line of organic specialty greens in 2007, when greens were rapidly transitioning from trending niche to mainstream demand.
Though I officially joined San Miguel Produce in 2001, I’d been involved behind the scenes with the marketing team and lending my support since the early 1990’s. Prior to joining San Miguel Produce, my other career was in newspaper/marketing. I have always loved the fresh produce business, often having said the newspaper business is much like fresh produce in that both have a short shelf-life; nobody wants old news or old produce. In 2000 the L.A. Times was sold and I started moving more into produce, joining my husband and Co-Founder Roy Nishimori at San Miguel Produce full-time in 2001.
But where did this surprising trend start? What does ‘bitter’ have to do with their power, and how did the category evolve dark leafy greens to Super Greens?
Super Greens - A Cultural Beginning
For decades, spinach was the king of the dark leafy greens, though the category historically has had a place among many cultural cuisines. Take bok choy in Asian cooking, chards and escarole for Europeans, and collards and mustards in Southern comfort, for example. These flavor profiles tended to grow out of only regional or cultural preferences and didn’t mark national or international mainstream trends. In fact, it wasn’t until the early 90’s, when kale suddenly became a recognizable choice for garnishes, that I really saw the door begin to open for the greens category. And San Miguel Produce was, quite literally, right on the cover.
Kale replaces parsley as the garnish of choice at Market
In 1991, San Miguel’s kale fields were featured in the L.A. Times article titled ‘Kale Replaces Parsley as the Garnish of Choice.’ This was what I would call the first real boost for kale, although it wasn’t until about 2006 to 2007 that the initial shift for the consumption of kale itself began.
As I said previously, spinach had been the king of the dark leafy greens for years. But when there was a recall due to e-coli for the category, consumers needed to find a replacement. That year, kale enjoyed a notable 79 percent increase.
The trend climbed slowly after this initial jump, only about 15 percent year-on-year, until 2010 when America made health its number one focus.
The ANDI Scale helps the category emerge
Suddenly, nutrient density became the popular focus for nutritionists and dietitians, with the new trend of plant-based diets emerging. Seeing the need for a new scale to match this trend, Dr. Joel Fuhrman designed one of the first scales to center around produce as the most nutrient-rich foods to eat. He introduced the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) Scale to promote healthy eating.
Another popular acronym Dr. Fuhrman promoted in the growth of leafy greens, in collaboration with Dr. Oz, was “G-BOMBS”: Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds. These are the produce items that these doctors recommend should be eaten every day.
Together, with trendsetting retailers like Whole Foods, which Dr. Fuhrman partnered with to promote the ANDI scale, these parties contributed to boosting what I would say was once a niche into the produce mainstream. Safeway also which jumped on board early on, creating a nutrient-dense greens destination in its produce department.
Super Greens become a produce destination for demand
To give a better understanding of how far the category has come, you have to understand that nutrient dense greens were often pushed aside as too bitter and better used as garnish or food for livestock and pets. While they are historically rich in tradition as a comfort food or isolated to specific ethnic cuisines, greens have now found their way into exciting new popular, multi-cultural food preparations.
Suddenly, dark leafy greens were becoming “Super Greens,” and the kale trend was rapidly taking center stage. We saw nutritional excellence, with weight-loss as a convenient by-product, become the new focus of consumers. The cultural niche past of dark leafy greens began to move rapidly into the Super Green mainstream, and now I expect they are less of a trend and more of a healthy lifestyle food that is here to stay.
Where "Bitter" fits into the Super Green category
Calorie for calorie, dark leafy greens are perhaps the most nutritious foods you can eat. But they have a naturally bitter taste that has contributed to them being overshadowed by more mild produce, like lettuce and spinach. What many don’t understand is there is a direct link between bitter and health, including plant-based phenols, flavonoids, isoflavones, terpenes, glucosinolates, and other compounds reported to have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic properties, and a wide spectrum of tumor-blocking activities. These compounds, known as phytochemicals or phytonutrients, hold major promise for the dietary prevention of chronic disease.
Although cancer researchers and some studies have proposed heightened bitterness could be very important, consumer and marketing studies invariably showed that taste, as opposed to perceived nutrition or health value, has historically been the key influence on food selection. And when it comes to bitter phytonutrients, I think you’ll find it’s safe to say that the general demands of good taste versus good health have always been incompatible.
But more and more new applications are being found as compliments to that “bitter” eating experience. The dark leafy greens’ bitterness naturally pairs well with stronger flavors, for example, and is easily balanced and enhanced when a little acidity like vinegar or citrus are added.
Now we know very well that compounds that make foods taste bitter, like carotenoids in spinach and flavonoids in kale, also make them good for us.
Some of the health benefits of bitter foods include helping to absorb food nutrients, curbing the appetite, boosting the metabolism, cleansing the body, anti-inflammatory benefits, fighting free radicals in the body, and stimulating immune functions.
Delving into varietal differences
Even with all this information on the healthful benefits of “bitter” and in dark leafy greens, there is still so little data. Even the USDA’s current information on the category is very generic, treating different varieties of one green, such as red, green, or lacinato kale, equally among the rest as far as its nutritional values.
Without this data, consumers have been asking us questions such as ‘do baby and mature leaves provide the same nutritional values?’ and ‘what is the nutritional value to the stem versus the leaf when wanting to remove the stem for food preparation?’
Though kale and other greens are ranked at the top of the nutrient density chart, it was important to answer these very important questions. So this past year, San Miguel Produce embarked on an in-depth study with third party labs and university labs to delve deeper into these nutrient questions. While the study is not 100 percent completed, so far our findings show that greens have unique and different nutrient qualities that are specific to variety. In addition, many people consuming baby versions of these greens due to their milder taste are getting nutrient value but perhaps not what they expect. Plus, they are missing that “bitter green” benefit which aid in the absorption/digestion of food nutrients.
This study will be completed in the near future, and the findings will be shared with both the industry and USDA so that they can update any databases.
Looking to the future
The entire greens category enjoyed a significant growth of 34 percent in 2014, which indicates there is growing interest in many varieties. Depending on the study/source, however, spinach and kale both have the highest consumption volume of all greens varieties, significantly outranking all the rest by a wide margin of over 300 percent. But even with this large gap, there are numerous varieties of dark leafy greens, and even blends, that are starting to grow in new popularity.
As they continue to become more mainstream, there is no question the classic heritage and traditions of cooking greens will continue as well. They may, however, take on some new twists with young home cooks, especially the 64 percent of Gen Y’ers who tend to cook more meals at home. This young consumer group enjoys bolder flavors, chooses healthy performance foods, and tends to experiment more with ethnic cuisines.
Over time, I expect this will all lead to new, innovative products on the market. Some will succeed and some will not. But kale still has some room to grow, and there is no doubt in my mind that consumers will be looking for something new and exciting that meets both their healthy lifestyle and their evolving taste buds.