Tasty, Nutritious and They Fit in Your Car's Cupholder (press release)

Sunday, July 24, 2005 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: health news, Natural News, nutrition

https://www.naturalnews.com/009847.html

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Featuring fresh seedless grapes on the stem in a clear plastic container, this product not only provides consumers with a tasty, nutritious snack, it also fits nicely in most car cup holders for added convenience. At the same time, because of the proprietary technology which involves modified-atmosphere packaging, these single serve grapes provide an added benefit for consumers and retail customers alike -- an extended shelf life. For the red grapes that means up to 17 days; for the green, up to 12 days.

"These fresh and nutritious grapes fill an important consumer need," says Paul Klutes, product manager, New Ventures, for Welch's. "It's perfect for people who want more fresh fruit in their diet and are looking for an easy and convenient solution. And consumers have told us in focus groups that grapes on the vine connote that fresh-picked taste."

Sold in red and green varieties, Welch's single serve grapes will initially be available in 5-ounce sealed plastic cups for between $1.69 and $1.79 at a limited number of supermarkets and supercenters.

Perry Lidster, Ph.D, Chief Operating Officer and President of FreshXtend Technologies Corp., said: "FreshXtend's technologies enable Welch's to produce an innovative, high-quality, ready-to-eat fruit product with an extended shelf life through all-natural processes, with no artificial additives, preservatives, chemicals, genetic alterations or irradiation. Our goal is to deliver the same high-quality eating experience consumers would expect from buying a fresh bunch of Welch's grapes recently."

Both Welch's and FreshXtend have good reason to be excited. In initial testing, both consumers and retailers were enthusiastic about the concept. There's another reason why the timing of this project could prove fortuitous: A new study, which was recently reported on in the Journal of Nutrition, shows that eating fresh grapes may prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol as well as the development of atherosclerotic lesions.

Welch's is the world's leading marketer of Concord and Niagara grape-based products, including grape juice and jelly. The company produces a variety of other fruit-based products, including 100% juices, juice cocktails, and drinks in the following forms: single serve, bottled, refrigerated, and frozen and shelf-stable concentrates. In addition, Welch's produces a number of fruit spread products under both the Welch's and BAMA brand names. Welch's web site can be found at http://www.welchs.com/ .

FreshXtend is a leading provider of life extension technology to the high growth Fresh Produce and Flower Industry and uses its technological leadership to pursue licensing opportunities. The Company's patented technologies extend shelf life through all natural processes with no artificial additives, preservatives, chemicals, genetic alterations or irradiation. FreshXtend's fruit and vegetable life extension technologies maintain the quality and shelf life of fresh produce, flowers and juices, thereby enabling economic distribution of premium quality vine-ripened fruit and vegetables. The Company has a network of R&D relationships, which include the University of British Columbia and focuses on building features that will appeal to FreshXtend's customers in order to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. The Company continues to pursue licensing opportunities through grower/processor channels as a way of maximizing the distribution for its technologies.