HEALTHY
B I T E S
H E A L T H Y
I S
C O O L
SEPTEMBER 2004
Welcome to Piranha Produce “HEALTHY BITES,” where you will find some of the freshest news in the healthcare and
produce industries. In this monthly report, we will look at “trends” in the produce and healthcare industries, the most useful up-to-date
news, recipes, as well as helpful tips and fun facts about the food, fruits and vegetables you eat and serve.
YOU
INSPIRE
HEALTHY
HABITS
HEALTHY BITES
NEWS
HOW WELL DO YOU
KNOW YOUR FOOD LABELS?
Is food labeling the weakest link in your
understanding of food safety? Why not test
your knowledge in this labeling quiz. Go to
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2
004/aug/labelquiz
NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY MONTH
September is National Food Safety Education
Month. The National Food Safety Program
goals of the Month are: Reinforce food
safety education and training among
restaurant and foodservice workers. Educate
the public to handle and prepare food
properly at home, where food safety is
equally important--whether cooking from
scratch or serving take-out meals and
restaurant leftovers.
Restaurants and
foodservice
operations,
hospitality
associations, colleges and universities,
federal, state, and local government agencies,
and consumer organizations across the
country participate in National Food Safety
Education Month in a variety of ways each
year.
DENMARK SAYS KELLOGG’S
IS TOO HEALTHY
Denmark is banning the sale of 12 new
Kellogg's breakfast cereals and six new
cereal bars after food safety officials said
additives in the products made them health
hazardous.
The Veterinary and Food
Administration said, "The company wants to
add iron, calcium and vitamin B6 in too large
quantities," adding that if eaten in large
enough amounts the products could be
harmful to consumers' health. It’s the first
time that Danish health…
Continued on Page 2
Five
A
Day
month
Get ready to “Lead the Way” by choosing to eat
more colorful fruits and vegetables and by choosing
more physical activity during National 5 A Day
Month in September. Each year during the month
of September, in cooperation with the Produce for
Better Health Foundation, the National Cancer
Institute, and other 5 A Day partners, Piranha
Produce does their part in a nationwide effort to
promote eating 5 to 9 servings of colorful fruits and
vegetables daily for better health.
Lorelei DiSogra, Ed.D., R.D., director of the 5 A
Day Program at NCI, tells us, "Over 70% of
American adults and children are still not eating
enough. Colorful fruits and vegetables provide
essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and several
hundred unique disease-fighting phytochemicals
that work together," DiSogra says. "Only fruits and
vegetables, not pills or supplements, provides all of
these health benefits."
“More than 60% of adults in the U.S. are
overweight or obese. Overweight Americans could
replace higher-calorie foods with fruits and
vegetables," says DiSogra. "The high water and
fiber content of fruits and vegetables will help keep
people well-satisfied…on fewer calories."
Five-A-Day
Club
Start a 5-A-Day Club for your staff at your facility. Each
time a serving of fruit or vegetable is purchased, mark their
card. After 25 servings, give them a prize, which could be a
free miniature golf outing, ice-skating, roller-skating,
bowling or a free week at a work-out gym, some physical
activity or sport. You can work with local managers to give
you the free or reduced-cost coupons for your program.
Enter each completed card for a grand prize at the end of
each quarter. Give away a mountain bike or camping
equipment. The point is to tie in healthy eating with healthy
exercise and lifestyle.
HEALTHY BITES
STORAGE TIPS
…And Other Fun
APPLES: Must be kept ice cold.
Taking apples from cold storage
to warm and back to cold will
cause condensation, which will
break down the wax on the
surface, turning the wax into a
whitish film.
By the way…Was the apple
really the Forbidden Fruit in the
Garden of Eden? Adam and Eve
were naked, and apples ripen and
color during cold Autumn
nights. Some anthropologists
believe it was actually the
Mango.
EGGPLANT: Will get chill
damage at temperatures under 45
degrees. Store in the warmest
part of your walk-in, close to the
door.
By the way…The Purple
Eggplant popular in America
today was actually hybred in the
1700s…by Thomas Jefferson.
Continued on Page 2
YOU
MOTIVATE
HEALTHY
HABITS
Piranha Produce, Aggressively Fresh; 1601 Cummins Dr. Suite H; Modesto, CA 95358; 877-876-8344
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HEALTHY
B I T E S
H E A L T H Y
I S
C O O L
SEPTEMBER 2004
HEALTHY BITES
NEWS
…authorities have rejected foods enriched
with vitamins and minerals since a European
Union ruling in 2003 forced the Scandinavian
country to embrace such additives. The
Danish agency said it had based its decision
on "a scientific evaluation of (food) safety."
Nordisk Kellogg's, the Nordic branch of the
US food giant, said it was disappointed by
the decision, pointing out that the rejected
products are currently being sold legally in
other EU countries, and insisting that they
don't pose a health threat.
WHAT’S
A
SERVING
…And Other Fun
HOW BIG, HOW MANY
USDA
Food
Guide
Pyramid
The
recommends 5-9 servings of fruits and
vegetables every day. And getting 5 to 9
servings is easier than you may think. A
serving size is:
One medium-size fruit
FILM STRIPS SET TO IMPACT NEW
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Edible film strips will explode onto the
market in early 2005, predicts one
manufacturer that is poised to meet the
growing demand from the nutritional
products industry.
Walter Zackowitz,
managing director of international sales at US
premix company Watson Foods says that a
number of new projects will be
commercializing during the first quarter of
next year. “The jury is still out on whether
these strips are just a fad but I believe they
will become like chewing gum for the
confectionery industry, growing strongly
over the next two years before stabilizing.
The real potential however is as a drug
delivery system, although this is at least three
years down the line,” he says. The biggest
UK vitamin maker, the healthcare retailer
Boots, is thought to be the first to bring
vitamin-containing strips to market, using
technology developed by another US firm
Aquafilm.
US manufacturers have also
added herbal ingredients to film strips,
including one company currently working on
a European launch of its appetite suppressant
strip. But the real winner will be energyboosting
strips,
predicts
Zackowitz.
“Consumers of products like Red Bull tend to
be young, innovative and keen to use
convenient formats,” he noted. “With strips
you can dose yourself as often and when you
like, they are easier to carry around than a
can, and you meet the needs of people who
have difficulty taking pills.” Thanks to the
big marketers of breath freshening strips,
such as Wrigley’s and Listerine, the delivery
system is becoming a very consumer-friendly
option, he added.
HEALTHY BITES
STORAGE TIPS
1/2 cup raw, cooked, frozen or canned
fruits (in 100% juice) or vegetables
3/4 cup (6 oz.) 100% fruit or vegetable
juice
1/2 cup cooked, canned or frozen
legumes (beans and peas)
1 cup raw, leafy vegetables
1/4 cup dried fruit
Wondering how many servings you really
need each day?
Children (2-6 yrs.), women, and others
who typically need about 1,600 calories
to reach or maintain a healthy weight:
5 servings – 2 fruits, 3 vegetables
Older children, teen girls, active women,
and most men who typically need about
2,200 calories to reach or maintain a
healthy
weight:
7 servings – 3 fruits, 4 vegetables
Teen boys and active men, who
typically need about 2,800 calories to
reach or maintain a healthy weight:
9 servings – 4 fruits, 5 vegetables
FRESH-CUT LETTUCE: Is
still breathing, even when cut.
Keeping fresh-cut lettuce ice
cold helps it to breathe slower,
and last longer. Leaving freshcut lettuce out at room
temperature will cause it to
breathe very fast, reducing shelf
life.
By the way…The first salad to
be packaged was Spring Mix,
originally known as Mesculun
Mix. 18th Century monks in a
monastery in Italy developed the
original Mesculun Mix, twelve
bitter herbs and greens to
represent the 12 apostles of
Christ.
GRAPES: Will absorb odors
produced by Leeks and Green
Onions, so keep them as far
away from each other as
possible.
By the way…The Red Flame
Seedless Grape was named by
some school children in Fresno.
All peach, plum, nectarine and
grape varieties developed by
scientists in Fresno, have names
that start with the letter “F.”
Piranha Produce, Aggressively Fresh; 1601 Cummins Dr. Suite H; Modesto, CA 95358; 877-876-8344
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HEALTHY
B I T E S
H E A L T H Y
I S
C O O L
SEPTEMBER 2004
Grapes:
Great
things
come in
bunches
The original Waldorf Salad recipe was created by “Oscar of
the Waldorf” at the 1893 opening of the Waldorf Hotel in
New York City. The original recipe simply used apples,
celery and mayonnaise.
ORIGINAL WALDORF
Ingredients
3 cups
Apples (diced)
1 TBS
Lemon Juice
1/4 cup
Celery (diced)
1/4 cup
Walnut pieces
1/3 cup
Mayonnaise
to taste
salt and pepper
Instructions
• Toss the apples with lemon juice.
• Add all other ingredients and mix well.
NEW WORLD WALDORF
Ingredients
1/4 cup
Mayonnaise
1 TBS
Apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup
Buttermilk
1/2 cup
Crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup
Yellow onion (finely minced)
1/4 tsp
Salt
1/8 tsp
Ground black pepper
Pinch
Cayenne
2 cups
Gala Apples (diced)
1 cup
Celery (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup
Red seedless grapes (halved)
1/2 cup
Walnut pieces
1 head
Butter lettuce (leaves separated)
Instructions
• In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and vinegar.
Slowly add ½ cup buttermilk, whisking to thicken. Add
the blue cheese, onion, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and
whisk well to combine, adding more buttermilk, as
desired. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the apples, celery, grapes, and
walnuts. Add the dressing, to taste, and toss well.
• Arrange the lettuce leaves on 6 salad plates. Top with
the tossed salad and serve.
RECIPE
OF THE MONTH
Grapes are an easy grab 'n go item, a premier recipe ingredient, and an
exceptional garnish. Beautiful greens, super sweet reds, exotic blacks - fresh
California grapes are a fantastic food for today's innovative foodservice. This
fast-paced, competitive industry is constantly faced with the need to innovate and
deliver flawless execution of the dining experience. This requires smart strategies
and use of products that deliver on more than one level. Like California grapes.
Here's what California Grapes can do for you:
• Generate add-on revenue as a take-out item.
• Provide a signature ingredient for sensational salads and entrees - they're
always juicy and beautiful, even when heated. For all your summer and fall
salads, skip the croutons. Add grapes instead.
• Plate enhancement: What's better than a plump, colorful cluster of fresh
California grapes?
Here are some Grape terms you may not have heard:
Bloom: Table grapes are often covered with natural bloom, which is a delicate
white substance common to many soft fruits. The bloom protects the grape from
moisture loss and decay. Bloom is sometimes mistakenly thought of as dust. The
more bloom you see on the grape, the fresher the grapes.
Berry: Grapes are actually berries. The simple definition of a berry is a “multicelled fruit with many seeds.”
Seedless: Are seedless table grapes really seedless? Well, not really. All grapes
have seeds, but because of the pollinating process, the seeds do not mature. The
seeds in a seedless grape stay immature and soft
Amber: A special characteristic of Thompson Seedless grapes is the quality
known as amber. Sometimes, this normally bright-green grape has a goldenyellow hue. That honey color means the grapes have been left to ripen longer and,
as a result, the grapes are particularly sweet and juicy. Although some people
might think that amber color means something's wrong with the grapes, it is, in
fact, a special quality, prized by knowledgeable grape lovers.
Piranha Produce, Aggressively Fresh; 1601 Cummins Dr. Suite H; Modesto, CA 95358; 877-876-8344
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HEALTHY
B I T E S
H E A L T H Y
I S
C O O L
SEPTEMBER 2004
AGGRESSIVELY FRESH PROMOTIONS SEPTEMBER
56th Emmy Awards, Shrine Auditorium, LA
Babe Ruth hit his 1st homerun, 1914
Back-to-School Month
Baseball Playoffs begin
Beatles last album released, 1969
California State Fair ( – Sept. 6)
Children’s Good Manners Month
College Football begins
Fall TV Shows debut
First Day of Fall
Grandparents Day
Hug A Texas Chef Month
Ice Cream Cone invented, 1903
Jerry Lewis MD Assoc. Telethon
Labor Day
Library Card Sign-Up Month
“M*A*S*H” TV debut, 1972
National Biscuit Month
National Chicken Month
Ntn’l Cholesterol Education Month
National Coupon Month
National 5-a-Day Month
National 5-a-Day Week
National Honey Month
National Little League Month
National Mushroom Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Piano Month
National Rice Month
National Sewing Month
Nat’l Youth Pastors Appreciation Month
NFL Season begins
Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year
Self Improvement Month
Shameless Promotion Month
Subliminal Marketing Month
Yom Kippur
Welcome to “Aggressively Fresh Promotions.” Each month, Piranha Produce will provide you with events that will be in the
news, making these ideas very timely for your menu. You can use these for menu, promotions or specials development.
AGGRESSIVELY FRESH TEAM
All of us at Piranha Produce Tim Bissel
Healthcare
are committed to the most
Steve Buer
Transportation Manager
aggressively fresh product
Jan Burkett
School Foodservice Director
Glenn Davis
CEO
and services available
Sean
Gaffaney
Operations Manager
anywhere in Northern
California. Here is a helpful Joe Higginbotham Warehouse Manager (QC)
Justin Higginbotham Night Warehouse Manager
list of important contacts at
Jeff Sacchini
President
Piranha Produce. Please feel Sallie Smart
Customer Service Manager
free to contact us with any
Ken Taylor
Vice-President - Purchasing
question or concern. We
209-549-8010 phone
believe that “a problem
877-876-VEGI phone toll free
shared…is a problem
877-867-VEGI fax toll free
already half solved.”
[email protected]
Piranha Produce, Aggressively Fresh; 1601 Cummins Dr. Suite H; Modesto, CA 95358; 877-876-8344
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