BAKERSFIELD, CA - Bolthouse Fresh Foods™ is proud to announce that it has been awarded the esteemed Joe Nucci Innovation Award, presented by Produce Business, for its breakthrough product Carrot Side Dish Sizzlers. This annual award recognizes the industry’s most impactful innovations spotlighting products that introduce new formats, elevate convenience, and bring fresh, modern ideas to the produce aisle.

Selected from among the Top 10 finalists for the 9th Annual Joe Nucci Innovation Award, Bolthouse Fresh™ Side Dish Sizzlers earned top recognition for their distinctive combination of convenience, flavor, and versatility. Developed to meet growing demand for quick, high quality meal solutions, this new side dish offering reimagines carrots as a ready to serve option, creating new occasions and driving category growth for retailers.

Available in two culinary inspired varieties Garlic Herb and Sweet Honey Heat the product provides consumers with a modern, flavorful option that elevates any meal while delivering meaningful differentiation at shelf.

“We are honored and proud to receive the Joe Nucci Innovation Award. Carrot Side Dish Sizzlers are a great example of category insight led innovation we’re driving across our business. Our goal is to create products that reimagine the role of carrots in today’s meals. This recognition celebrates not only this product, but the broader innovation pipeline and quality commitments that define Bolthouse Fresh Foods,” said Melissa Oliver, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Bolthouse Fresh Foods™, in the recent release.

This recognition highlights Bolthouse Fresh Foods™ ongoing leadership following its 2024 rebrand and renewed commitment to category growth. With a robust pipeline of innovation and a mission to make fresh produce more accessible, relevant, and exciting, Bolthouse Fresh Foods™ continues to deliver products that inspire consumers while strengthening results for its retail partners.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - As consumers selectively splurge on premium items like Champagne for New Year’s celebrations, Side Delights® is helping retailers build bigger baskets by pairing those purchases with high-value, versatile potatoes.

Potatoes are increasingly featured as an elegant foundation for New Year’s menus, from homemade potato chips and smashed potatoes to shareable roasted appetizers designed to complement sparkling or still wines, like The Today Show’s potato filling with crème fraîche, parsley, and trout caviar in a crispy potato skin. Potatoes’ accessibility and versatility make them a natural companion to Champagne, allowing retailers to balance premium purchases with everyday staples.

“New Year’s is a prime opportunity to merchandise potatoes beyond the produce aisle,” said Kathleen Triou, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fresh Solutions Network, in the recent release. “When paired with Champagne, for example, potatoes help retailers inspire celebration, expand the basket, and drive incremental sales across departments.”

Side Delights® encourages cross-merchandising potatoes near Champagne or sparkling wine displays, creating holiday endcaps, and using simple pairing messaging to turn New Year’s entertaining into a profitable, multi-department retail moment.

Visit the Side Delights® Recipe site for elevated recipes and new ways to enjoy the full portfolio of potato products during this celebratory season and the rest of the year.

Side Delights® offers a variety of products, including bagged and bulk potatoes, potato kits, convenience potatoes, petite potatoes, fresh-cut potatoes, and organic potatoes. For more information on Side Delights® and its network of farms, visit FreshSolutionsNet.com, SideDelights.com, and GrownWhereItMatters.com.

MONTEREY, CA - Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle is giving holiday revelers compelling new reasons to add a salad kit to their holiday dinner and entertaining plans.

Reflecting the trend of more Americans eating salad for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s, the produce leader is teaming with Instacart to offer special savings on its best-selling DOLE® Chopped Caesar and Chopped Bacon Caesar Kits.

Starting Dec. 15, 2025, salad-loving Instacart shoppers can save $1 for every $8 they spend on the DOLE® Chopped Caesar, DOLE® Chopped Bacon Caesar, and almost 70 other DOLE® salad offerings, including 31 separate salad kits.

One of the most popular DOLE®-branded salad offerings, the Chopped Caesar kit salad combines shredded Parmesan cheese, and crumbled garlic croutons with crisp romaine lettuce and Dole’s Caesar Dressing. The Chopped Bacon Caesar kit offers a twist and includes garlic pepper seasoning, bacon crumbles, and crumbled garlic croutons.

According to David Austin, vice president of marketing and innovation at Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle, the offer is consistent with trends showing that more Americans are embracing salad for the holidays. “Surveys suggest that close to one-third of families in the U.S. now serve a green salad for December holidays and almost one-in-ten serve a Caesar salad – with West Coast residents the most likely to add fresh greens to their holiday menus.”

"Whether balancing-out the ham or turkey at Christmas, the latkes and Sufganiyot at Hanukkah or the hearty stews of Kwanzaa, salads offer a refreshing, lighter side dish option for any holiday meal,” said Austin in the recent release.

Dole Fresh Vegetables introduced its first packaged salad in 1993. The company’s salad business, now part of Bud Antle, LLC, was instrumental in the launch and growth of new salad varieties, such as its DOLE® Chopped Salad Kits line, and the overall salad segment.

“With December calendars packed with entertaining, travel and last-minute meal planning, Dole’s salad kits deliver a ready-to-serve option that requires virtually no prep,” said Austin. “Our latest promotion helps consumers keep fresh greens on the table even during the season’s busiest weeks.”

Dole Instacart Offer

Under Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle’s Instacart promotion, for every $8 that Instacart shoppers spend on participating DOLE® Salads, they will save $1.

The offer is available starting Dec. 15, 2025 on any DOLE® Salad Blend or Kit on the DOLE® Salads Instacart page, while supplies last. For full promotion details, go to https://www.instacart.com/store/brands/dolefresh-vegetables/salads.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Shoppers preparing for the holidays want consistency. Of product, of taste, of supply… You name it, those outlining holiday meal plans are expecting it. North Bay Produce knows how important it is to exceed consumer expectations, and the company’s RĖSERVE® label is a premium example of this dedication.

To learn more about how the label sets new standards for berries in the industry, I turned to Paul Driscoll, Director of Business Development, who also clued me in on ways to make the company’s berries pop this holiday season.

“Receiving the Superior Taste Award for our RĖSERVE ERANDY® Blackberries was a validating moment,” Paul tells me, recalling the prestigious recognition from earlier this year. “It led us to double down on genetics and the varietal transitions that are taking place across the category."

North Bay Produce is proud to be setting new standards for premium fruit in the berry category, and its RĖSERVE ERANDY Blackberries are a great example. They are recognizable by their sleek packaging, large size, and exceptional texture and flavor.

“Consumers have several choices about where to spend their money. With such an incredible assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables available, we’re focused on thrilling them with incredible eating experiences that lead to repeat purchases,” Paul adds. “This primary goal of creating experiences is a cornerstone of our varietal development in the berry category.”

With creating experiences in mind, I next ask Paul how the label should be highlighted for holiday promotions.

“Stack it high and let it fly!” Paul emphasizes. “Big, beautiful displays of RESERVE berries are a merchandising must for the holiday season! Providing holiday shoppers with fruit that will wow their guests, RESERVE berries included, is a great addition to any season."

Whether it be a bowl full of luscious blackberries, a breakfast topping, an accent to a holiday baking project, or as a component in a festive cocktail, shoppers will find many ways to enjoy!”

AndNowUKnow will continue to cover news across the industry, so stay tuned!