CINCINNATI – Fresh Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB), announced today the introduction of two new consumer-preferred organic salad mixes and the launch of an awareness campaign that highlights the added benefits of purchasing Fresh Express USDA certified organic salads. Fresh Express now offers “Organic Baby Sweet Lettuce” and “Organic 50/50™ Mix.” The product offerings are being introduced with an awareness campaign that Fresh Express organic salads are “Organic But More.”
“We are excited to introduce two new organic salads mixes, which are a perfect match for what consumers seek,” said Bob Stallman, Chiquita general manager for salads and ingredients. “To highlight our full array of organic salads and what makes them so different, we are also launching a campaign that features the many benefits retailers gain from a partnership with Fresh Express.”
Fresh Express organic salads are not only grown in strict accordance with USDA requirements for organic produce but Fresh Express works to provide even “More” of the added benefits consumers and retailers seek from a salad company. Each organic salad is processed with rigorous adherence to the far-reaching Fresh Express “7 Steps of Prevention™ Food Safety Program,” a multi-step total supply chain approach to food protection. All Fresh Express organic salads are also manufactured in organic-certified Fresh Express facilities and only approved farmers who meet USDA’s organic requirements and Fresh Express’s proprietary requirements for planting, growing and harvesting lettuce and leafy greens are allowed to supply ingredients for the brand’s ready-to-eat organic salads. Furthermore, all Fresh Express Organic Salads are washed using Fresh Rinse™, the new eco-friendly breakthrough fresh produce wash invented by Fresh Express that has been proven to dramatically reduce the potential for certain pathogens compared to traditional chlorine produce washes.
The Fresh Express organic salad clamshell line includes a robust array of eight organic salad varieties. These full-flavor profiles enable retailers to offer their organic consumers more of the salads they love with more of the benefits they seek to increase sales. The two new mixes are:
Fresh Express Organic “Baby Sweet Lettuce” salad mix is a specially selected blend of only the sweetest tender leaf lettuce varieties available. Its delightful taste profile is balanced with the harmonious flavors of a wide range of tender baby lettuces. Ingredients include Baby Red and Baby Green Romaine, Baby Red and Baby Green Leaf, Baby Red and Baby Green Oak, Baby Lollo Rossa and Baby Tango as well as Baby Spinach.
Fresh Express Organic “50/50 Mix™” salad mix is a sought-after blend of tender leaf lettuces combined with crunchy, nutrient-packed baby spinach. Consumers love this nutritious salad mix as much for its vivacious flavors as its good health and nutritional benefits. Organically-grown and harvested Baby Spinach is artfully blended with lettuces and leafy greens including Romaine, Green Leaf, Green Oak, Tango, Lollo Rossa, Red Leaf, Red Oak, Red Romaine and Red Butter Lettuces as well as Arugula, Radicchio.
Retailers also benefit from the convenience of having one source for both their organic and their conventional salad program needs. Single source purchasing from Fresh Express results in one-stop ordering ease as well as single truck delivery convenience. Retailers benefit from the technical, quality and food safety advancements developed specifically by Fresh Express and integrated exclusively in the Fresh Express product line. Moreover, retailers are supported by the Fresh Express category management team dedicated to helping them build their Organic Salad sales success as well as their overall Value Added Salad (VAS) sales and profits. These important retailer benefits make the Fresh Express salads “Organic But More.”
To learn more about the Fresh Express Organic Program and details, retailers are invited to call 831-775-2300. Product information is also available by visiting the Fresh Express website at www.FreshExpress.com.
ABOUT FRESH EXPRESS INCORPORATED
Fresh Express, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB), is a leader in fresh foods and is dedicated to providing consumers with healthy, convenient ready-to-eat salads, leafy greens, vegetables and fruits. With the invention of its special Keep Crisp® Bag in the 1980s, Fresh Express pioneered the retail packaged salad category and was the first to make them available to grocery stores nationwide. Today, Fresh Express fresh salads come in more than 60 different varieties offering exciting new flavors and convenient new ways to meet the daily dietary requirements for fresh produce. More than 20 million consumers each week enjoy healthy, convenient ready-to-eat Fresh Express salads, spinach, vegetables and greens. For more information, visit www.freshexpress.com.
ABOUT CHIQUITA BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (NYSE: CQB) is a leading international marketer and distributor of nutritious, high-quality fresh and value-added food products – from energy-rich bananas, other fruits, blends of convenient green salads to healthy snacking products. The company markets its healthy, fresh products under the Chiquita® and Fresh Express® premium brands and other related trademarks. With annual revenues of more than $3 billion, Chiquita employs more than 21,000 people and has operations in nearly 70 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit our corporate web site at www.chiquitabrands.com.
Source: Chiquita Brands International, Inc.