WASHINGTON, DC – United Fresh this week announces a record 40 fresh fruit and vegetable innovations as finalists for the United Fresh Produce Association’s 2014 New Product Awards. This year’s finalists will compete in five categories for the title of Best New Products at United Fresh 2014, June 10-13 in Chicago.
“We’re excited to have a record of 40 finalists for our New Product Awards, which is a clear indicator of the ever increasing ingenuity in fresh produce,” said John Toner, United’s vice president of convention & industry relations. “We’re proud to showcase these innovative products at the United Fresh 2014 show in Chicago, which continues to be the home for innovation and creativity in the produce business.”
“New products like these are an essential element of the success of the fresh and fresh-cut produce industry, said Tom Stenzel, United’s president and CEO. “Our member companies bring foresight about market trends and emerging technologies, and then apply creative ideas to capitalize on those trends, which contributes to the growth and profitability of our entire industry.”
The 2014 New Product Award finalists:
Best New Food Safety Solution
Produce TMS Solution
ALC Logistics, Software Division of the Allen Lund Company – Booth 1279
This web-based TMS software is designed and customized to fit the needs of the produce industry.
Arizona LGMA Food Safety Training Kit Videos
Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee- Booth 2194
The Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Training Kit is now available in a DVD series (English and Spanish), offering another user-friendly tool for food safety training professionals.
FlashTrak Telematics
DeltaTrak, Inc. – Booth 855
Delta Trak’s FlashTrak Telematics is a complete cloud based solution for cold chain management and temperature monitoring. Used for both mobile and facilities applications, it helps assure the integrity of perishable products.
Fruit Gard, 2 part dry product
Food Defend – Booth 2286
FruitGard® reduces spoilage and food safety organisms on produce. FruitGard® offers a dry post-harvest intervention that leaves no toxic residue and can be safely applied in common processing infrastructure.
FoodLink Fresh
FoodLink – Booth 1052
FoodLink Fresh is a web-based, food safety and quality inspection solution that provides analysis for data collected across the supply chain from harvesting to temperature & handling during transportation to receiving at the DC and retail store.
SmartTraxx Go
Locus Traxx Worldwide – Booth 312
Disposable by design, the SmartTraxx GO is the temp-recorder done better. Pull the tab, instantly temperature and location data begin streaming in real-time to the cloud. Complete visibility at your fingertips, in transit and at the dock.
Best New Fruit Product
Crunch Pak with Marvel Apple Snacker
Crunch Pak – Booth 132
Marvel Entertainment and Crunch Pak, the fresh sliced apples specialist, launched an assortment of fresh snack products called Snackers that feature Marvel Super Heroes on packages of fresh sliced apples and other snacking ingredients including grapes, cheese and pretzels. Snackers are a mini meal replacement; think of it as a healthy bento box.
Woot Froot
Fresh Fruit Cuts – Booth 140
Woot Froot is cutting edge freshcut peaches and nectarines available in MAP packaging of 3oz and 14 oz bags and various tray sizes with a shelf life of 21 days.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce Kit
Naturipe Farms – Booth 645
A first of its kind, this fresh cranberry microwavable sauce kit takes the mystery out of preparing one of fresh produces' most nutritious fruits. “Kick the Can” with Naturipe.
USDA Quality Monitored GOOD 4 U FRESH FRUIT®
Sbrocco International, Inc. – Booth 457
Fresh Table Grapes & Apples in GOOD 4 U FRESH FRUIT brand high-graphic pouch bags with the official USDA Quality Monitored Seal to indicate USDA Quality Monitoring Program participation.
Best New Packaging
Josie's Organics Romaine Hearts
Braga Fresh Family Farms – Booth 1249
3 pack of organic romaine hearts featuring Josie's logo and signature polka dot pattern
Del Monte® Fresh Guac
Del Monte Fresh Produce – Booth 407
Our Del Monte® Fresh Guac comes in an assortment of flavors in convenient packaging, is preservative free, and is always ready-to-eat. Available in 8 oz. single and 2-pack, and a 2 oz. 4-pack.
Wholly Guacamole 100 Cal Minis
Fresherized Foods – Booth 623
These 2oz mini cups are perfect for those who wat to guac on the go! Great to travel, for portion control or for a kid's lunchbox, the mini cup is great for squeezing or dipping. These cups also freeze up to 3 months.
Orchard Valley Harvest Wellness Mixes
John B Sanfilippo – Booth 627
Orchard Valley Harvest Wellness Mixes. Three 4oz varieties: Antioxidant Mix; Omega-3 Mix; and Energy Mix. All mixes are Non-GMO Project Verified, contain no artificial ingredients, gluten-free, and packed with nutrients.
Sunset® Eco Flavor Bowl™
Mastronardi Produce/Sunset – Booth 220
The SUNSET® Eco Flavor Bowl™ is a new packaging format designed with the environment in mind. The unique top seal film locks in flavor while reducing your carbon footprint, making it the perfect bowl forsustainable snacking.
Bouquet Pack – Long Stem Strawberries
Naturipe Farms – Booth 645
The unique shape and color of Naturipe’s Bouquet Pack gives the sense of “something special” with Premium Long Stem strawberries packed in a first of its kind, bi-colored, co-extruded clamshell.
Wood look Returnable Plastic Crate
Polymer Logistics – Booth 620
RPC’s first innovation in 20 years! World’s first foldable, simulated wood crate brings a fresh look and feel, while offering all the advantages of RPC—including our revolutionary ‘active-lock’ mechanism.
Ready Pac Ready Snax Refresh
Ready Pac Foods – Booth 1271
New Packaging and design of the Ready Snax Snacking line
Hacienda Special Reserve Tomatoes with Display Ready Box
Redsun Farms – Booth 637
This eye catching case of tomatoes include varieties such as; Brandy Yellow, Cherokee Green and Purple, Green Zebra, Aurea Big Tiger- all offering a unique appearance and flavor for tomato lovers.
Dippin' Stix Sweet Gala Apples & Caramel
Reichel Foods – Booth 557
Dippin’ Stix now offers delicious Sweet Gala Apples & Caramel in a convenient 5 pack carton. The carton offers a brilliant versatile design that can be merchandised two different ways.
Lip Smackn' Grapes – Rinse & Serve Reusable Bowl
Village Farms – Booth 1069
Village Farms is first to market for this unique and exclusive package making it a necessary addition to the category. No venting in bowl bottom makes functional for reusing/repurposing.
TopLine Creations
Westmoreland – Booth 1275
TopLine Creations! Same Gourmet Produce you Love with the adage of Flavor Infused Olive Oil. Great for a snack or whip up a salad on the go. Rinse. Drizzle. Enjoy!
LabelBling™
Yerecic Label – Booth 965
LabelBling™ uses holographic films, sparkle inks, embossing or a combination of these effects on produce packaging to catch attention while shopping and entice consumers to learn more about the product.
Ready To Eat Single Serve Blueberry
North Bay Produce, Inc. – Booth 759
North Bay Produce’s Ready To Eat Blueberries are the newest solution for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Offering innovative packaging and portability, our single serve blueberry pack will hold up to the busy demands of on the go eating for young and old alike.
Best New Packing/Processing Equipment
Bosch SVC 4020 Vertical Form-Fill-Seal Bagger
Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc. – Booth 2053
Built for today's hygenic requirements and for tomorrow's regulations, the new SVC vertical packaging platform is ideal for the fresh food industry.
Super Batch Centrifuge
FTNON BV – Booth 2461
Unique centrifuge which can handle all kind of products with different capacities. Easy to operate, easy to maintain. Small footprint, energy efficient.
STRAWBERRY CAPPER Mod. Frazer
Turatti S.R.L – Booth 2249
Strawberries yields forever! The new Frazer capper was developed to remove the strawberry calyx and to cut each fruit in half – if required – increasing capacity and yield. This patent-pending system can be used also to top radishes.
Forklift Inflator
West Coast Supplies – Booth 1956
The Forklift Inflator is easily installed on any forklift and is powered by the forklift battery. Once installed, simply flip the switch to fill air bags anywhere inside the trailer or container.
Best New Vegetable Product
Roasties
Black Gold Farms – Booth 859
Roasties is a pre-packaged clamshell containing fresh, whole baby red potatoes and an enclosed packet of McCormick Produce Partners seasonings with easy instructions to rise, season & bake.
Wholly Guacamole Layered Bean Dips
Fresherized Foods – Booth 623
The maker of America's number one branded guacamole brings a layer of beans 10oz dips, served either chilled or warmed!
Good Foods Tableside Chunky Guacamole – 4pk
Good Foods Group – Booth 1066
Our guacamole is deliciously prepared with hand-scooped avocados, like your favorite tableside restaurant experience. With garlic, onions and tomatoes, it's chunky and full of goodness! In convenient single serves.
Organic Beets in an Organic Mild Vinegar
Love Beets – Booth 443
Our Organic Beets in an Organic Mild Vinegar are freshly cooked and simply delicious. Certified organic, all natural and gluten free — being healthy never tasted so good!
Y.E.L.O.™
Mastronardi Produce/Sunset – Booth 220
Youth, Energy, Life, Om. Sunset's next must-have tomato
Mucci Farms CuteCumbers™ Snack Sized Cucumbers
Mucci Farms – Booth 240
Smaller, crunchier and more convenient than mini cucumbers, our bite-sized CuteCumbers™ make an ideal snack for kids and adults. A handy-sized cocktail snack with no cutting or chopping required.
The Snacking Series – Juno Bites, Bumbles, Sangira, and Azuca
Pure Flavor – Pure Hothouse Foods, Inc. – Booth 864
The Snacking Series features Pure Flavor’s exclusive line of bite-sized tomatoes designed with the consumer in mind. Grab-and-Go Packaging, a variety of flavors, and recipe ideas – the quick snacking solution everyone is looking for!
New Dippin' Stix Flavor – Celery Stix & Ranch Dip
Reichel Foods – Booth 557
Dippin’ Stix expands their vegetable and dip offerings with fresh cut celery sticks and creamy ranch dip, a delicious combination, conveniently packaged for healthy snacking on the go.
FreshCooked
Tiffany Gate Foods – Booth 228
Delicious, hard to cook vegetables, grains and beans. Perfectly cooked and ready to use on salads, in soups, as sides or by themselves. Lineup includes quinoa, beets, yams and chickpeas.
Rebellion tomato
Village Farms – Booth 1069
A revolution in flavor! Rebellion is a unique pack container 4 to 6 different flavorful tomato varieties each with a distinct shape in range of colors from red, orage, yellow, green and brown.
Wholesum Harvest Grilling Squash
Wholesum Family Farms – Booth 454
Wholesum Harvest Grilling Squash features yellow and a zucchini squash combo in self sealing bags. The bags feature recipes and QR codes to the company grower video and bank of recipes.
Eat Smart Kale & Red Chard Stir Fry Kit
Apio, Inc. – Booth 1556
Eat Smart’s new Kale & Red Chard Stir Fry Kit is a unique twist on a traditional favorite offering on trend flavors with a gourmet taste. This restaurant inspired kit includes broccoli florets, red chard, kale, snow peas, carrots and a stir fry sauce infused with soy, garlic and ginger.
New Product Award finalists will be displayed at the United Fresh Membership Booth, at United Fresh 2014 in Chicago. The winner in each category will be determined by total votes received as of 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 12. United Fresh will announce winners at the Membership Booth on Thursday, June 12. United Fresh 2014 attendees are encouraged to stop by the United Fresh Membership Booth and vote for their favorite new products on display.
For more information about the New Product Awards competition contact John Toner, vice president, convention and industry relations, at 202-303-3424.
Founded in 1904, the United Fresh Produce Association serves companies at the forefront of the global fresh and fresh-cut produce industry, including growers, shippers, fresh-cut processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, foodservice operators, industry suppliers and allied associations. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C. and Western Regional office in Salinas, Calif., United Fresh and its members work year-round to make a difference for the produce industry by driving policies that increase consumption of fresh produce, shaping critical legislative and regulatory action, providing scientific and technical leadership in food safety, quality assurance, nutrition and health, and developing educational programs and business opportunities to assist member companies in growing successful businesses. For more information, visit www.unitedfresh.org or call 202-303-3400.
Source: United Fresh Produce Association
