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Healthy sales are on the horizon for frozen vegetables and fruitas consumers add these flash-frozen products to their diets for vitamins and other health benefits.
Onsumers who want to increase their vegetable and fruit intake for a healthier diet are looking to the frozen case. Marketing frozen produce to time-short customers can build sales by offering a healthy alternative to fresh fruits and vegetables. The new "Fruits and Veggies--More Matters" initiative of the Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which replaces Five A Day, points out that all forms of produce, including frozen, count toward a healthier diet.
Many studies have proven frozen fruits and vegetables are as healthy as fresh produce. Flash freezing at the peak of freshness, ensures valuable vitamins are sealed into frozen produce.
Frozen vegetables like broccoli can supply more beta-carotene than when fresh. Frozen broccoli usually has more tender buds or florets which are richer in carotenoids than fresh stalks. Studies also indicate that frozen fruits and vegetables may be fresher than shelf-stale produce.
"Steam in the microwave" frozen vegetable products have recently spotlighted the category and yielded strong sales. The consumer quest for a healthy diet is another strong selling point for the frozen vegetable and fruit category, now and in the future.
Steam Sets the Category on Fire
Clarence Birdseye led the way when he introduced the convenience of frozen foods to consumers over 75 years ago. His namesake company, Birds Eye, led the way in the category again recently with its introduction of Steamfresh frozen vegetables, featuring steam-in-the-bag microwave cooking in five minutes. "Birds Eye Foods has awakened the frozen vegetable category with Steamfresh," says Bob Montgomery, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Birds Eye Foods, Rochester, N.Y.
For the 52-week period ending June 17, data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI), Chicago, shows that dollar sales in the frozen vegetable category are up $122 million or up 6.2% over last year. "Of the $122 million in growth, 87% is directly attributable to Birds Eye Steamfresh items," says Tim Meath, manager, sales operations for Birds Eye.
Recently, the company announced three new Steamfresh Singles: Super Sweet Corn, Baby Brussels Sprouts, and Sweet Peas. The new items will be on shelves this month. Each package of Steamfresh Singles contains four individual packets of 3.25 oz. of vegetables. According to Birds Eye research, consumers indicated that Steamfresh Singles are easier to serve, make it easier to give everyone in the family what they want, are the right serving size, and reduce food waste.
"We are pleased with consumer and trade reception and support of Steamfresh," Montgomery says. "We will continue to innovate around the Steamfresh platform and support it with strong consumer and trade programs."
The Birds Eye frozen portfolio of products includes over 500 SKUs, ranging from bags and boxes of vegetables (plain and blends) and fruit to Birds Eye Voila!, a line of bagged family-sized meals. The Birds Eye brand is distributed across the U.S. Other company brands include C & W, distributed mainly in the Western states, and Freshlike, with distribution primarily in the Midwest.
Simply Steam vegetables were introduced by Green Giant last summer. The line now includes 10 vegetable combinations ranging from no sauce varieties such as Niblets Corn and LeSeur Baby Sweet Peas to seasoned varieties like Garden Vegetable Medley, and Broccoli and Carrots with Garlic and Herbs. All Simply Steam varieties have 80 calories or less per serving.
"The Simply Steam product line offers consumers an easy and nutritious way to get their vegetables," says Laura Eisen, marketing manager, Green Giant, a division of Betty Crocker under General Mills, Minneapolis. "Because they steam in the bag, there are no pots or pans to clean up and consumers love the idea of steaming vegetables."
Healthy Blends, new from Green Giant, blends premium, all natural vegetables which are lightly tossed in sauce to meet specific health needs including weight control, immunity and healthy vision. Preparation is the same as the company's Simply Steam vegetables: steam in the microwave for three minutes for a side dish or snack.
Green Giant is introducing another new product, the first of its kind in the category. "New Green Giant Bites are an easy way for families to eat more vegetables. The bites are the first baked vegetables bites in the category," says Dana Levinson, Green Giant associate marketing manager. Available in Corn and Butter, Broccoli and Cheese, and Broccoli and Cauliflower with Italian Herb Sauce, the bites are baked in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
In addition to the Simply Steam line, Green Giant offers plain, sauced and seasoned vegetables combinations in bags or in boxes; corn on the cob; Create-A-Meal and complete skillet meal dinner kits; and Just for ONE!, vegetables with sauce or seasoning for one.
"The trend we are seeing in frozen vegetables is to be closer to fresh—to have a texture, taste, and nutrient quality similar to fresh vegetables, with the added benefits of convenience, variety, and year-round availability," Levinson says.
Cascadian Farm, a leading grower and distributor of organic foods including frozen vegetables, is the first organic brand to offer steamable products. The brand's Purely Steam line offers Broccoli and Carrots with Garlic and Herbs, Garden Vegetable Medley with Garden Herbs, and Petite Sweet Peas.
A division of Small Planet Foods and part of General Mills, Cascadian Farm has a line-up of over 35 frozen vegetable items in boxes, bags or blends plus frozen potatoes. Cascadian Farm also offers seven varieties of frozen bagged fruit including a berry blend. The brand is sold in natural food stores and the natural/organic section of supermarkets.
"In the future, we see more value-added offerings, like sauces and seasonings, and convenience offerings, like single serve and steaming, frozen vegetables," says Perteet Spencer, associate marketing manager, Cascadian Farm, Minneapolis.
Fruit of the Vine—On Ice
"The beauty of frozen fruit is that it has equal nutritional benefits to fresh fruit plus the added value of being easy to use," says Marty Ordway, vice president, marketing and communications, Dole Food Co., West Lake Village, Calif. "Frozen fruit is more economical because it is generally less expensive than fresh fruit and does not spoil."
Consumers can enjoy out-of-season fruits from the frozen section year-round. Sales in the category are up 9.8% in dollar sales over one year ago, according to IRI.
Dole's frozen fruits were recently judged best tasting overall among major national competitors by a panel of professional chefs of American Culinary ChefsBest. All Dole frozen fruit products are 100% natural fruit, flash-frozen at their peak, washed and ready to eat which helps families on the go add more fruit to their diet.
"We communicate to consumers that frozen fruit is as nutritious as fresh fruit—we put it on all our packages," Ordway says. The Food and Drug Administration considers frozen fruit nutritionally comparable to fresh fruit, allowing the frozen product to be labeled as healthy.
New from Dole is its Wildly Nutritious Signature Blends, "de-signed to deliver fruit combinations that provide scientifically supported health benefits in three areas: maintaining a healthy heart, keeping a healthy immune system and getting antioxidants in the diet", Ordway says.
The antioxidant blend provides double the in-dustry standard level of antioxidants. This blend features strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and Marion blackberries. Strawberries, pineapple, mango, peaches, and honeydew combine for the heart healthy blend which provides Vitamin C, fiber and potassium. The immunity blend includes pineapple, mango, strawberries, papaya, and golden kiwi with Vita-mins A and C.
Dole IQF (individually quick-frozen) sliced strawberries started shipping last month and are aimed at increasing category growth and penetration for frozen strawberries. Currently, sliced strawberries are mainly available packed with sugar. Dole IQF sliced strawberries have no sugar added and can be used to top waffles, pancakes, cereal, yogurt or in smoothies.
author: By D. Gail Fleenor