If you ask me, time is undeniably our most valuable asset. As cliché as the phrase, “life is short,” may be, there surely lies some truth to the statement. Here is where the appeal of the value-added sector is found, in its magical and odds-defying ability to grant consumers more time as they grasp at the fleeting minutes of the day-to-day. The value-added space is at the epicenter of convenience, creativity, and conceptualization, and store shelves await the innovations spurred by suppliers who have sought to do the impossible. Buyers, don’t wait another second to make the most of this burgeoning category…
“Holidays are about sharing, and that often means meals with family and friends. As one of the pioneers in value-added salad kits, Dole has been successfully making the case for including the broad flavor varieties of our fast-and-easy Salad Kits at the holiday table for years. However, the holidays also mean cooking and baking, so we’re excited to add our Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kits to the lineup this year. These are fresh, ready-to-roast vegetables paired with exclusive seasonings and cooked to perfection on a single sheet pan for easy clean-up. To help educate shoppers, we’re arming retailers with original recipes that add turkey, chicken, fish, or tofu to turn this simple, value-added idea into a classic, satiating winter meal or party-worthy side. It’s this year’s easy, healthy, one-pan, holiday meal solution.”
“Above all, consumers are looking for ways to eat healthy and fresh—and they want to make it easy and stress-free. Calavo has a range of solutions to deliver on these needs on any occasion. Our grab-and-go bags of fresh avocados make scratch eating easy, and our fresh guacamole and salsa dips are a great hack for making fresh snacking a snap. We have veggie starters that take a few steps off of cooking, so people can make adding vegetables to their meals easier than ever.”
“As we transition from the holiday eating season to the new year, shoppers are continuously looking for ways to cut down on time in the kitchen to make room for their busy schedules. Duda Farm Fresh Foods offers a variety of fresh-cut, value-added celery, corn, and radishes to meet consumers’ needs and resolutions. Whether they are looking for something to quickly throw in their bag for an afternoon snack or easily add to a salad for some extra crunch, we have you covered!”
“Whether at home or on-the-go, it can be hard to find time to make a healthy, great-tasting meal. We’ve seen a rise in quick-service salad chains that offer healthy meal options with high-quality produce ingredients, yet they can often leave a hole in your wallet, with single-serve salads easily exceeding $10–15. We were inspired by the idea that we could present a restaurant-quality experience to the produce department while also making it affordable for consumers. By introducing a line of Local Bounti grab-and-go salads, we were able to do just that—bring together exciting flavors, premium ingredients, and the exceptional freshness of our greenhouse-grown greens so consumers no longer have to choose between quality, convenience, and affordability. Our first two SKUs are vegetarian and vegan-friendly to reach the increasingly flexitarian consumer, with additional SKUs coming in 2023 as shoppers ramp up demand for healthy options.”
“Gold Coast Packing’s line of value-added products are all about convenience—both for foodservice customers and retailers. We offer volume items like broccoli and cauliflower florets; salad blends and broccoli slaws; washed spinach; whole and chopped cilantro; as well as whole, half, and shredded Brussels sprouts. In addition, Gold Coast offers a variety of pack sizes—larger sizes for foodservice and smaller, convenience items for retail, as well as private label opportunities. Our focus is always on service and delivering a high-quality product to our customers. We have an on-staff product development and innovation team that focuses on developing products for specific customer needs. With our focus on value-added produce, our team’s goal is to bring unique products to market while filling a need that focuses on convenience.” 
