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November 12, 2024 | 9 min to read
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CLICK ON THE INNOVATION 2024 FORM.
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS TO SELECT YOUR TOP 3 CHOICES.
POLLING ENDS AT 5 P.M. PST ON NOV. 21.
The winner will be announced at The New York Produce Show and Conference
From microwavable potatoes to sustainable packaging, the eighth annual Produce Business Innovation Award winners brought their best to the table and store shelves.
With a focus on Product, Packaging and Process, Produce Business presents the 10 top-scoring entrants and leaves it up to the industry to decide which item merits the annual Joe Nucci Award for Product Innovation.
This year’s entries highlight several trends, as the produce industry overall looks to inspire consumers to consume more fresh produce, and to develop innovations that will increase produce sales. This year’s crop of winners showcases that fresh produce options are looking to stand out with health and sustainability in mind.
The judging, which took place in the Boca Raton, FL, offices of Produce Business, was conducted by editors and staff who are well-versed in the fresh produce industry. Technological examinations were via research in published journals and in corroborating data sent to us.
This annual award will be presented at the Thought Leaders Keynote Breakfast during the annual New York Produce Show and Conference, Dec. 11, at the Javits Center in midtown Manhattan.
Only Produce Business readers will evaluate the top-scoring products selected from numerous entries. Please read the descriptions on the following pages and cast your vote using the form below to choose this year’s Joe Nucci Award.
In early August, Naturipe launched a delightful twist on traditional snacking with its Berry Buddies value-added line. Each of the three packs features snacks children love, most prominently blueberries and/or grapes, paired with either pretzels, mini pancakes, or cookies and cheese cubes. Each product has colorful, inviting packaging with separate compartments, and are small enough for kids to take them on the go. What sets them apart is the fruit — a healthy serving of produce — that children can enjoy as part of a snack at home or on the road. Naturipe put years into research and development of Berry Buddies. Each option has a shelf life of at least 17 days and contains equal to or less than 160 calories per serving.
Made with a concentrated dose of superfoods and adaptogens, LOOP Mission’s 42-ounce, cold-pressed wellness shots help “support the immune system, increasing energy, reducing inflammation, while aiding digestion.” Among its variety of formats is its newest Immunity Box, which is made with ginger, turmeric, echinacea, lemon and apple and contains only 1 gram of sugar. The bulk box offers ultimate convenience and reduces the need for multiple small bottles, making it convenient for frequent consumption or larger households. The bag-in-box format uses less plastic compared to individual bottles, reducing packaging waste and offering a more eco-friendly alternative. With an easy-to-use dispenser, consumers can pour out the right amount of the cold-pressed shot, offering precise servings.
Launched in February, Diamond’s Crunchy Nut Toppers are made with bite-size pieces of nutrient-dense walnuts and pecans and are seasoned with simple ingredients to create a flavorful and healthy salad topping. But they can also be used on baked potatoes, veggie sides, yogurt, oatmeal and other dishes. They are the latest in a long history of specialty products from the 112-year-old Diamond company that include snack walnuts, snack pecans, Himalayan pink salt walnuts and nut pie crusts. The toppers, available online and in stores nationwide for a SRP of $2.99/3 oz., come in four flavors — bacon-free Smoky Bacon Walnuts, dairy-free Garden Ranch Walnuts, Glazed Walnuts and Glazed Pecans.
In July, after more than five years in development, Taylor Farms launched the first plant-based fiber tray for fresh greens. Made from recycled plant-based fibers, the tray is designed to ensure freshness while reducing the use of plastics. The plant-based fiber tray is both H2R (How to Recycle) certified recyclable, biodegradable, and is coated with certified food-grade coating made from renewable resources and FSC-certified sustainably sourced and recycled fibers. The tray uses 95% less plastic than a standard clamshell package, including the thin peel-and-reseal film. The trays house two of Earthbound Farm’s premier washed organic products — Spring Mix and Baby Spinach.
After years in development, Fresh Express launched its Hot or Cold Teriyaki Salad and Noodle Meal Kits in September for $5.99. They feature a variety of chilled, freshly chopped vegetables, including broccoli, red and green cabbage, kale, shredded carrots, radish, and green onions. The value-added bagged salads also come with crunchy wontons, sesame seeds and/or pre-cooked udon noodles. What makes the salad kit stand out is the dual consumption formats — standard cold or heated up. Blended in a pan with the included packet of teriyaki sauce, the mix becomes a savory, convenient meal that doesn’t lose its crunch. Consumers can add their favorite protein to balance the meal, or take inspiration from Fresh Express recipes like Marinated Teriyaki Steak with Teriyaki Noodle Salad or Teriyaki Tofu Bowls.
Mango Cheeks, from Maglio Companies, a fifth-generation importer and distributor, are ready to eat and consist of peeled, pitted and individually wrapped mango halves. They come in three convenient formats: a 20-count bulk pack that is ideal for foodservice, a single pack consisting of 12 individual UPCs perfect for grab-and-go, and an eight-count multipack that appeals to health-conscious, busy families. Each mango is picked at the peak of ripeness, and the packs contain no juices or preservatives. Maglio also has a similar, colorful packaged product with its Pineapple Spears in the same three formats. In business for more than 120 years, Maglio has perfected the art of handling and processing, using proprietary techniques to help extend shelf life of each of the products.
Boasting superb color and a uniform smaller size, Sunset’s Peppy’s Peppers are the ultimate convenient snacking option for children and adults. Peppy’s come in a vibrant single color or variety of colorful mini peppers (orange, yellow and red). Perhaps most importantly for discerning palates, they are both intensely sweet and seedless. Packaging is also what sets these peppers apart. The fully recyclable, smaller-sized bag is an incremental pack format from traditional pepper pack sizes and is designed to be convenient to hold, while the bright colors and playful packaging captivate consumers from the shelf. Greenhouse-grown and non-GMO, each pepper is harvested at peak ripeness, providing consumers with premium taste and color.
Stunning in appearance, Babé Farms’ latest luxury Little Gem leafy greens — the Pink Rhône — are sweet, crunchy and boast a mild, buttery flavor. The glossy texture houses an incredible array of colors — from wine-red to light magenta through to its core. Its overall appearance resembles more of a European-style lettuce — petite in size with loose outer leaves and a tightly enveloped core. The Pink Rhône is perfect for creating a one-of-a-kind salad in any format: chopped, wedge or whole leaf. Babé Farms is one of the nation’s leaders in specialty varieties coveted by top chefs and fine retailers. Its line of Baby Head Lettuce includes Baby Butter Cakes, Lettuce Bouquets, the blood violet Lollo Rossa and Ruby Ro-Minis.
Ocean Mist’s Roastables line of boldly flavored, ready-to-cook meals features farm-fresh, washed and trimmed Brussels sprouts with a variety of chef-crafted flavor profiles inspired by the California coast. Boasting all-natural seasonings and crispy garnishes, the meal kits offer consumers nutritious and delicious meal options in minutes. Roastables are available in three flavors — Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Sweet Sesame and Lemon Caesar. Like so many of the convenience products launched in the past five years, Roastables are fast and easy to prepare, with just three simple steps and are ready in 15 minutes. Each Roastables kit is 80 calories or less per serving.
No company had ever developed a microwavable potato that tasted like an oven-baked potato, where steam can escape from the wrapping. But with a micro-perforated film that shrinks around the potato, these Amazables get crisp on the outside and bake on the inside. The result is an oven-baked potato in 6 minutes. To top it off, the potatoes come with Litehouse Dressing Sauce Packets in two flavors — Buffalo Ranch or Loaded Potato. The new approach with the innovative film has significantly reduced packaging. Previously, the potato would have needed to be encased inside another film wrapper or cardboard box containing both the wrapped potato and the condiment/sauce. However, with the new technology, the film serves as both the carrier/outside packaging for both the potato and the sauce, as well as acting as the cooking vessel. Most important is the convenience of the product — perfect for vending machines on school campuses, hospitals and company break rooms — a single potato that can easily be microwaved.
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