Premium fruit ingredients add value to dairy foods

During a recent visit to Whole Foods Market, I slowed down my pace in order to better observe the trends in new products and label claims. Filtering out natural, organic and similar marketing tactics, one solid trend that was apparent across most food categories was a tie-in to fruit. The pork chops had a serving suggestion to include apple sauce. Breakfast cereals either contained dried fruit pieces or a recommendation to add something fresh from the farm stand.

What really caught my eye was the new Bolthouse Farms 50/50 Tropical Juice blend, which is half fruit juice and half vegetable juice. Front labels convey that each 32-ounce bottle contains four fruit and four vegetable servings, while side panels get specific, indicating that each bottle contains three oranges, 2/3 of a passion fruit, one guava, 12 1/2 carrots, 2 1/3 pears and 2 3/4 apples. Underneath this is the message that “five fruit and vegetable servings are recommended every day for good health.”