Awards were handed out Thursday afternoon for the Best New Products at United Fresh 2010. Winners were selected by ballot.
The Best New Packing/Packaging Equipment Award went to Giro Pack for its Ultrabagger.
The Best New Food Safety Solution Award went to YottaMark for its VoiceCode system.
The Best New Fruit Product Award went to Chiquita's Fresh and Ready Avocados.
The Best New Vegetable Product Award went to Ready Pac Foods Bistro Bowl Salads.
Congratulations to the winners.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Fresh-Cut Research, Take 2
The food safety pavilion at United Fresh 2010 offered researchers the chance to talk about projects, and some had implications for processors.
Charles Forney with the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Kentville, Nova Scotia, spoke about the impact that packaging films can have on the taste of fresh-cut apple slices. The research group looked at perforated versus solid film bags and looked at the chemical effects of the bags and each treatment was judged by a taste panel. The Gala apple slices in the perforated bags had higher levels of esters, the flavor compounds. The taste panel found apples in perforated bags to have a fruitier aroma, a fruitier taste and were sweeter, despite there being no change in soluble solids.
Trevor Suslow from the University of California, Davis, spoke about some of the lessons learned from GAP field research. Some of the findings provided data to support what people already believed, but the research has also challenged how crops are grown and harvested. Suslow's Top 10 findings are:
1. Irrigation metrics need revision.
2. Waterborne E. coli dies quickly in soil.
3. Waterborne salmonella survives in soil.
4. Contamination near the time of harvest is riskier.
5. Uniform contamination does not result in uniform survival.
6. Gaseous chlorine dioxide is an effective surface treatment.
7. Sample size must be larger than 25 grams.
8. LGMA no-harvest zone 'metrics' work.
9. Systemic uptake from root structure is not plausible.
10. Sometimes test-and-hold prevents disasters.
Charles Forney with the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre in Kentville, Nova Scotia, spoke about the impact that packaging films can have on the taste of fresh-cut apple slices. The research group looked at perforated versus solid film bags and looked at the chemical effects of the bags and each treatment was judged by a taste panel. The Gala apple slices in the perforated bags had higher levels of esters, the flavor compounds. The taste panel found apples in perforated bags to have a fruitier aroma, a fruitier taste and were sweeter, despite there being no change in soluble solids.
Trevor Suslow from the University of California, Davis, spoke about some of the lessons learned from GAP field research. Some of the findings provided data to support what people already believed, but the research has also challenged how crops are grown and harvested. Suslow's Top 10 findings are:
1. Irrigation metrics need revision.
2. Waterborne E. coli dies quickly in soil.
3. Waterborne salmonella survives in soil.
4. Contamination near the time of harvest is riskier.
5. Uniform contamination does not result in uniform survival.
6. Gaseous chlorine dioxide is an effective surface treatment.
7. Sample size must be larger than 25 grams.
8. LGMA no-harvest zone 'metrics' work.
9. Systemic uptake from root structure is not plausible.
10. Sometimes test-and-hold prevents disasters.
Fresh-Cut Research Projects
A full ballroom at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas heard about two interesting research projects that could have implications for the fresh-cut produce industry.
Alan Lefcourt with USDA's Agricultural Research Service presented his team's work on a laser imaging system that could one day be mounted to a tractor that would drive through a field and identify fecal material on the soil and plants, as well as areas that animal intrusions. The system will need to be interactive, adjustable, allow for false positives, be able to detect one fecal deer pellet and keep a complete visual record.
So far, Lefcourt's system uses a laser with expansion optics and a gated camera to record the exposure times. The laser system is currently in the lab stage, but the next stage will be to take it out into the field on a cart to see if it works.
While such a system would be expensive, and potentially slow, Lefcourt said there are adjustments. If a company only wanted to look for feces on the soil, a less expensive system could be used. Also, if it were only to be used in low ambient light, then a lower power diode laser could be used. And since the system uses florescence, it could be used to detect other problems, such as water stress and nitrogen stress.
"This will make this much economically viable to do all those things at the same time," Lefcourt said.
Mark Morgan from Purdue University also presented his work on gaseous chlorine as a kill step in produce. On April 25, a gaseous chlorine system went into production for use in bulk aseptic storage vessels. It's also being used in storage vessels. But it's not approved for food contact, so Morgan's research is looking at ways to commercialize it and find ways to get it approved by USDA and FDA.
In lab tests, gaseous chlorine dioxide effectively reduced pathogens on some fresh produce items. Depending on time and concentration, as much as a 7 log reduction could be reached. In some items, like leafy greens, the concentration needed to kill pathogens damaged the product, so it's not an effective treatment for all produce. Tomatoes, on the other hand, had effective control at much lower concentrations than other items, likely a result of the skin, Morgan said.
A gaseous chlorine dioxide system is being scaled up to test it in-line in food production, but there are additional measures that had to be taken because it is toxic at low levels.
Morgan said future research on gaseous chlorine dioxide could focus on a system for sanitizing pallets of produce, which would require forcing the gas through the crates like in an ethylene system.
Alan Lefcourt with USDA's Agricultural Research Service presented his team's work on a laser imaging system that could one day be mounted to a tractor that would drive through a field and identify fecal material on the soil and plants, as well as areas that animal intrusions. The system will need to be interactive, adjustable, allow for false positives, be able to detect one fecal deer pellet and keep a complete visual record.
So far, Lefcourt's system uses a laser with expansion optics and a gated camera to record the exposure times. The laser system is currently in the lab stage, but the next stage will be to take it out into the field on a cart to see if it works.
While such a system would be expensive, and potentially slow, Lefcourt said there are adjustments. If a company only wanted to look for feces on the soil, a less expensive system could be used. Also, if it were only to be used in low ambient light, then a lower power diode laser could be used. And since the system uses florescence, it could be used to detect other problems, such as water stress and nitrogen stress.
"This will make this much economically viable to do all those things at the same time," Lefcourt said.
Mark Morgan from Purdue University also presented his work on gaseous chlorine as a kill step in produce. On April 25, a gaseous chlorine system went into production for use in bulk aseptic storage vessels. It's also being used in storage vessels. But it's not approved for food contact, so Morgan's research is looking at ways to commercialize it and find ways to get it approved by USDA and FDA.
In lab tests, gaseous chlorine dioxide effectively reduced pathogens on some fresh produce items. Depending on time and concentration, as much as a 7 log reduction could be reached. In some items, like leafy greens, the concentration needed to kill pathogens damaged the product, so it's not an effective treatment for all produce. Tomatoes, on the other hand, had effective control at much lower concentrations than other items, likely a result of the skin, Morgan said.
A gaseous chlorine dioxide system is being scaled up to test it in-line in food production, but there are additional measures that had to be taken because it is toxic at low levels.
Morgan said future research on gaseous chlorine dioxide could focus on a system for sanitizing pallets of produce, which would require forcing the gas through the crates like in an ethylene system.
Super Sessions
The United Fresh Super Sessions - with four concurrent tracks for retail/foodservice, grower shipper, wholesaler/distributor and fresh-cut processing - all offered show attendees the chance to learn about their specific market segments and interact with the board members representing their part of the industry.
After an introduction from Ron Midyett of Apio Inc. and chairman of the fresh-cut processor board, Ali Leon from Ready Pac discussed the preliminary data from the 2010 United Fresh Issues Scan. The figures appear to have improved over the last two, with convenience still perceived to be higher for fresh-cuts than whole, frozen or canned items. The health and food safety perceptions of fresh-cut items could use some improvements, but there are positive signs. According to the study, affordability perceptions increased 9 percent from last year.
Des Ferris from Ireland's Nature's Best Limited filled in for Paddy Callaghan and provided some of the strengths and weaknesses of fresh-cut products in Ireland and the UK. The industry there has been particularly hard on processors as customer buying habits have changed. People still enjoy fresh-cuts for convenience, portability, protection of the packaging, new variations and complete meal offerings, Ferris said, but the segment is hurt by item cost, taste deterioration, lack of knowledge about where or when items were prepared, waste from packaging disposal and lack of personal variations to items.
Processor members then had the chance to ask Leon, Ferris, Jan Berk of San Miguel Produce and Phil Gruzska of Grimmway Enterprises about the Issues Scans data and earlier comments, as well as provide comments on the direction the board should be taking. Questions on clamshell versus flexible packaging, local produce, environmental attributes of fresh-cuts and organics led to great discussions from many processors.
Dennis Christou from Del Monte Fresh presented the company's advances in vending machines. Fresh Cut covered this new marketing a few months ago, but Christou offered new perspectives on the approach.
Check back later for updates on the fresh-cut technology session and updates from the show floor and sessions there.
After an introduction from Ron Midyett of Apio Inc. and chairman of the fresh-cut processor board, Ali Leon from Ready Pac discussed the preliminary data from the 2010 United Fresh Issues Scan. The figures appear to have improved over the last two, with convenience still perceived to be higher for fresh-cuts than whole, frozen or canned items. The health and food safety perceptions of fresh-cut items could use some improvements, but there are positive signs. According to the study, affordability perceptions increased 9 percent from last year.
Des Ferris from Ireland's Nature's Best Limited filled in for Paddy Callaghan and provided some of the strengths and weaknesses of fresh-cut products in Ireland and the UK. The industry there has been particularly hard on processors as customer buying habits have changed. People still enjoy fresh-cuts for convenience, portability, protection of the packaging, new variations and complete meal offerings, Ferris said, but the segment is hurt by item cost, taste deterioration, lack of knowledge about where or when items were prepared, waste from packaging disposal and lack of personal variations to items.
Processor members then had the chance to ask Leon, Ferris, Jan Berk of San Miguel Produce and Phil Gruzska of Grimmway Enterprises about the Issues Scans data and earlier comments, as well as provide comments on the direction the board should be taking. Questions on clamshell versus flexible packaging, local produce, environmental attributes of fresh-cuts and organics led to great discussions from many processors.
Dennis Christou from Del Monte Fresh presented the company's advances in vending machines. Fresh Cut covered this new marketing a few months ago, but Christou offered new perspectives on the approach.
Check back later for updates on the fresh-cut technology session and updates from the show floor and sessions there.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Educational Sessions, Day 2
The educational sessions have wrapped up for the day at United Fresh 2010. This year, there were four educational session areas on the trade show floor - fresh-cut processor, wholesale distributor, grower/shipper and foodservice/retail - plus a traceability demonstration center and a food safety demonstration center.
At the first session at the fresh-cut processor track, Drew McDonald from Taylor Farms and Trevor Suslow from the University of California-Davis, discussed new rapid testing techniques and how having a plan that incorporates the right test method will help when a presumptive positive occurs.
"People tend to trust the negatives and question the positives, and that's what we don't want to do," McDonald said.
At the retail/foodservice learning area, Kim Eifler, director of purchasing for Darden, discussed the regulatory pressures on the foodservice industry. Her advice for the industry was to offer all the information on what's in a restaurant's food, for example, through a website. Restaurants also cold offer alternative fresh options, practice portion size control, offer nutritionally balanced dishes that are flavor driven, focus development on health, be food allergy conscious and become involved in school nutrition and education.
Jim Gorny, senior advisor for produce food safety for FDA, spoke at the food safety demonstration center about FDA's reportable food registry, which went online in September. From Sept. 8-Jan. 10, there were 651 actual reportable events through the portal, with the No. 1 cause being undeclared allergies. Only 7 percent of the reports were for produce items in the very limited sample, Gorny said.
Finally, in the traceability demonstration center, a large gathering of attendees heard from suppliers and buyers about GS1 traceability implementation. The deadline for turning G10 numbers over to buyers has passed, but retailers are finding suppliers aren't ready, and some suppliers have found their retail partners aren't ready. The industry needs to work together to implement the Produce Traceability Initiative, because if businesses don't move on to the next milestone, there's the chance that traceability will become a federally mandated issue, instead of a voluntary, industry-led program.
The final hours of the trade show today feature beer and wine on the show floor for a networking happy hour. Stop by the Fresh Cut booth to meet managing editor Scott Christie, advertising manager Marnie Draper or publisher Matt McCallum.
At the first session at the fresh-cut processor track, Drew McDonald from Taylor Farms and Trevor Suslow from the University of California-Davis, discussed new rapid testing techniques and how having a plan that incorporates the right test method will help when a presumptive positive occurs.
"People tend to trust the negatives and question the positives, and that's what we don't want to do," McDonald said.
At the retail/foodservice learning area, Kim Eifler, director of purchasing for Darden, discussed the regulatory pressures on the foodservice industry. Her advice for the industry was to offer all the information on what's in a restaurant's food, for example, through a website. Restaurants also cold offer alternative fresh options, practice portion size control, offer nutritionally balanced dishes that are flavor driven, focus development on health, be food allergy conscious and become involved in school nutrition and education.
Jim Gorny, senior advisor for produce food safety for FDA, spoke at the food safety demonstration center about FDA's reportable food registry, which went online in September. From Sept. 8-Jan. 10, there were 651 actual reportable events through the portal, with the No. 1 cause being undeclared allergies. Only 7 percent of the reports were for produce items in the very limited sample, Gorny said.
Finally, in the traceability demonstration center, a large gathering of attendees heard from suppliers and buyers about GS1 traceability implementation. The deadline for turning G10 numbers over to buyers has passed, but retailers are finding suppliers aren't ready, and some suppliers have found their retail partners aren't ready. The industry needs to work together to implement the Produce Traceability Initiative, because if businesses don't move on to the next milestone, there's the chance that traceability will become a federally mandated issue, instead of a voluntary, industry-led program.
The final hours of the trade show today feature beer and wine on the show floor for a networking happy hour. Stop by the Fresh Cut booth to meet managing editor Scott Christie, advertising manager Marnie Draper or publisher Matt McCallum.
Two Nevada Schools Welcome Salad Bar Donations
Two Nye County, Nev., schools will receive salad bars donated by United Fresh Foundation, The Vollrath Co. and Cambro Manufacturing Co., at the close of the United Fresh Show in Las Vegas. Both companies are preferred suppliers of the United Fresh salad bar program.
J.G. Johnson Elementary School and Manse Elementary School, both in Pahrump, Nev., accepted the donations at the trade show today. Both schools have more than 450 kids in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, which provides each student with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day.
Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh vice president of nutrition and health, said the salad bars are "evidence-based strategies" to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in school-aged children.
NatureSeal also donated one additional salad bar to a Nevada school, which was called a "godsend" by the school's principal.
J.G. Johnson Elementary School and Manse Elementary School, both in Pahrump, Nev., accepted the donations at the trade show today. Both schools have more than 450 kids in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program, which provides each student with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack every day.
Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh vice president of nutrition and health, said the salad bars are "evidence-based strategies" to increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in school-aged children.
NatureSeal also donated one additional salad bar to a Nevada school, which was called a "godsend" by the school's principal.
Fresh Produce in NYC Schools
This morning's breakfast general session began with an introduction of the incoming United Fresh board of directors, with Stephanie Smith, CEO of River Point Farms, Hermiston, Ore., the chairman. She encouraged United Fresh members to become involved in the association to help influence policymakers, and support the association's school salad bar initiative.
Smith's goal is to raise $3 million in funds over the next three years to donate salad bars to low-income and rural schools, and so far $500,000 has already been donated to fund the first salad bars at schools in Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Nevada. United Fresh also has made a commitment to the New Orleans school system, so that attendees at next year's trade show can see the program in action.
Smith then read a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama, who said she supported the goals of the association and its members in improving the health of children by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and making access to fresh food easier.
The New York City school system is an excellent example in how fresh produce can be used in schools. Eric Goldstein, head of food and transportation for the New York City school system, and Jorge Collazo, executive chef for School Foods, spoke about what they are doing to increase consumption and access in elementary through high school students.
The School Foods department serves 205,000 breakfasts free everday and 860,000 total meals a day at more than 1,700 schools. The staff of almost 10,000 serves 1.1 million school students.
One of the primary initiatives Goldstein introduced was self-serve salad bars, which are not reimbursed by federal programs that support the food program. The city supports the program, however, and Goldstein said without that support the salad bars would not be as widespread as they are now. Federal stimulus funding is supporting the hire of two chefs to focus on salad bar merchandising.
Other programs that Collazo and Goldstein have implemented to increase fresh produce access include getting rid of vending machines that sell candy and fundraisers that sell candy. Within the next few weeks, fresh produce vending machines will be installed in a pilot program in 20 schools, and the system also is launching "Student Celebrations," a birthday and special event catering service that offers sliced apples and baby carrots instead of cupcakes.
The school system is able to do a remarkable job serving fresh produce on $1 a day per child, and Collazo and Goldstein encouraged United Fresh members to make their voices heard to provide more federal dollars in the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
The last speaker of the morning session was FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Food Michael Taylor. He spoke about the need for industry input in food safety initiatives and the unprecedented time we are in, where consensus in society is in favor of improving the food safety system. He said FDA should be a prevention-oriented food safety system, should be based on science with targeted research efforts, should be comprehensive from farm to fork and importers should be held to the same standards and food produced in the United States - not testing at entry but pushing food safety back through the pipeline.
The trade show opens in a few minutes, so check back for updates on new equipment and products throughout the day.
Smith's goal is to raise $3 million in funds over the next three years to donate salad bars to low-income and rural schools, and so far $500,000 has already been donated to fund the first salad bars at schools in Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Nevada. United Fresh also has made a commitment to the New Orleans school system, so that attendees at next year's trade show can see the program in action.
Smith then read a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama, who said she supported the goals of the association and its members in improving the health of children by increasing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and making access to fresh food easier.
The New York City school system is an excellent example in how fresh produce can be used in schools. Eric Goldstein, head of food and transportation for the New York City school system, and Jorge Collazo, executive chef for School Foods, spoke about what they are doing to increase consumption and access in elementary through high school students.
The School Foods department serves 205,000 breakfasts free everday and 860,000 total meals a day at more than 1,700 schools. The staff of almost 10,000 serves 1.1 million school students.
One of the primary initiatives Goldstein introduced was self-serve salad bars, which are not reimbursed by federal programs that support the food program. The city supports the program, however, and Goldstein said without that support the salad bars would not be as widespread as they are now. Federal stimulus funding is supporting the hire of two chefs to focus on salad bar merchandising.
Other programs that Collazo and Goldstein have implemented to increase fresh produce access include getting rid of vending machines that sell candy and fundraisers that sell candy. Within the next few weeks, fresh produce vending machines will be installed in a pilot program in 20 schools, and the system also is launching "Student Celebrations," a birthday and special event catering service that offers sliced apples and baby carrots instead of cupcakes.
The school system is able to do a remarkable job serving fresh produce on $1 a day per child, and Collazo and Goldstein encouraged United Fresh members to make their voices heard to provide more federal dollars in the next Child Nutrition Reauthorization.
The last speaker of the morning session was FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Food Michael Taylor. He spoke about the need for industry input in food safety initiatives and the unprecedented time we are in, where consensus in society is in favor of improving the food safety system. He said FDA should be a prevention-oriented food safety system, should be based on science with targeted research efforts, should be comprehensive from farm to fork and importers should be held to the same standards and food produced in the United States - not testing at entry but pushing food safety back through the pipeline.
The trade show opens in a few minutes, so check back for updates on new equipment and products throughout the day.
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