MONTEREY, Calif. – A national distinction for Dole’s new chopped salad line proves that adults aren’t the only ones who like kale in their salad – kids do too! Parents magazine announced in its March issue that DOLE® Chopped Asian Blend is one of the 25 Best Packaged Foods of 2014, saying that “our tiny testers ate kale when it was chopped up with bite-size pieces of cabbage, carrots and snap peas in this bagged salad.”
One of four new DOLE® All Natural Chopped Salads introduced last fall, Chopped Asian Blend combines kale with crunchy green and red cabbage, broccoli slaw, snap peas and carrots. It was featured along with 24 other new products as “family-friendly items that contain reasonable levels of fat and sodium, have no artificial colors or flavors, and save busy cooks time.”
According to Karen Cicerno, Parents editor, in addition to scouring supermarkets, her team also asked kids to tell them their favorites. More than 75 kids and parents tasted new products at the Meredith headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, to determine the 25 winners.
DOLE All Natural Chopped Salads features three chopped salad kits (Chipotle & Cheddar, BBQ Ranch and Bacon & Bleu) and two chopped salad blends (Summer Garden and Asian). The three kits and Asian Blend include kale, the increasingly popular green that combines a distinctive taste with high levels of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K, calcium and phytonutrients.
“We love that kids are fans of Dole’s kale-infused chopped salads,” said Markus Eriksson, senior brand manager for Dole Fresh Vegetables of Monterey, Calif. “Our goal is to combine powerful nutrition and craveable flavor that consumers, young and old, can enjoy.”
As one of the world’s largest providers of packaged salads, Dole has a long history of anticipating the latest trends to offer consumers innovative new products combining quality, variety, convenience and taste. With the addition of the five new DOLE® Chopped Salad blends and kits, consumers can now choose from 49 separate DOLE® Salad options, including chopped salads, award-winning kits and blends, slaws, clamshells and convenience-oriented value sizes.
For more information about DOLE® Salad Kits and Blends, visit the website at www.dolesalads.com or Facebook at www.facebook.com/dolesalads.
About DOLE Salads
DOLE® Salads is one of the world’s largest lines of packaged salads, with a wide range of unique bagged salad blends and all-natural salad kits. The line is supported by a comprehensive online library of salad and green-based recipes, serving suggestions and entertaining tips, as well as other resources including the Dole Salad Circle, which offers a first look at new recipes and tips. For details, go to www.dolesalads.com or the DOLE® Salads Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dolesalads.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company with 2012 revenues of $4.2 billion, is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com or http://investors.dole.com.
Source: Dole Food Company, Inc.
