Fresh-cut processing demand up in schools and restaurants
With back to school well underway, the interest in school produce snack packs is back and continuing to gain strength. "The demand for these items seems to go up a little bit more each year," says Neal Kasloff, VP sales at Family Fresh Foods, the in-house processing division of Nickey Gregory Co.
“The demand for these items seems to go up a little bit more each year,”
The company ships snack packs for the entire school year and they're half-cup portions packed 50 to a case, though apples can be packed 100/case, and are designed to meet school nutrition requirements. Along with meeting those needs, they also save school staff and parent volunteers from cutting up and measuring the produce items themselves. "It's a mix of fruit and vegetable items–we have about 50 different items including apple slices, orange slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks and more," says Kasloff.
Apple slices top of the class While the number one snack item has for years been apple slices–an item that is cost-friendly and holds up in the packaging for 21 days–schools are also trying new items on for size. "We have been packaging tri-colored cauliflower, jicama sticks, dragon fruit, kiwi and much, much more. It could be the school's chance to spend a bit more money on something than they would if it came out of their budget," says Kasloff, adding that the snack packs are incorporated into a variety of school-related nutrition programs, including breakfast, after-school and fruit and vegetable programs for kindergarteners all the way up to grade 12.
Why the growth in fresh-cut programs Like the school programs, interest is gaining on foodservice fresh cut too. "These items are a labor saver. In the past couple of years, I've noticed more businesses ordering fresh-cut items because they don't have the labor to do it," he says.
