The clean food movement is accelerating, sparked by health-conscious consumers who prefer to know exactly what is and isn’t in the food they are eating. Apio, Inc., producing fresh-cut vegetables and salads for the United States and Canada under the Eat Smart® brand, is at the vanguard of the movement. Eat Smart is the first brand in the non-organic salad kit and tray category to commit to clean ingredients and labeling, with plans for all products to contain a “100% Clean Label” by the end of 2018.
What is clean food? “Apio’s definition is simple. All Eat Smart products will be free from high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, hydrogenated fats, as well as artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners by the end of next year,” said Molly Hemmeter, CEO of Landec/Apio. “Clean labeling is an important part of this initiative. Our easy-to-understand labels will list recognizable ingredients that consumers can feel good about putting in their bodies and serving to their families.”
Most Apio products are clean today
Nearly 90% of Eat Smart products already contain a clean label, including all cut vegetable products, salad blends and our most popular nutrient-dense vegetable salad kits including our Sweet Kale, Strawberry Harvest, and Sunflower Kale products. Apio’s “100% Clean Label” initiative is focused on reformulating salad dressings and toppings and vegetable tray dips that we source from other suppliers and include with our vegetable products to ensure they meet our new 100% Clean Label initiative specifications. Select packages of Eat Smart salads and tray products with a clean label will begin featuring a prominent burst on the front of the package that says: “100% Clean Label. No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.” More information about Apio’s “100% Clean Label” initiative can be found at www.eatsmart.net.
The North American salad kit category is approximately $2.1 billion and includes retail and club stores. Of this total market, less than 2% of salad kits are sold as organic1 . This is due to the number and complexity of ingredients in most salad kits, which makes it difficult to source all ingredients organically at a price that consumers are willing to pay. By offering consumers clean label salad kits and trays, Eat Smart provides consumers with another healthy option for realizing their personal wellness goals.
Eat Smart products are available in more than 100 club and retail chains in the U.S. and Canada.
Contact:
Anne Byerly
Tel:(805) 249-5394
Jenny Stornetta
Tel: (805) 249-5251