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Produce Show Daily Oct 19 2014

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P ro d u c e S h o w D a i l y 5 9 S u n d a y, O c to b e r 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 HALF YOUR PLATE PROGRAM ENCOURAGES HEALTHY EATING Most Canadians are not eating the rec- ommended daily number of fruits and vegetables as suggested in Canada's Food Guide. To add to the confusion, there is a lack of understanding on what a serving actually consists of. A recent study showed that while Canada's Food Guide recommends that adult females consume 7-8 servings and adult males 8-10, Canadian females are only eating 4.3 servings and male only 3.5 servings. More than one quarter of Canadians don't believe they have enough time to prepare fresh produce to eat. This prevents them from consuming more. Based on this need for education, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Public Health Association have developed the Half your Plate program which launched in April 2014. Half your Plate is a new healthy living initiative that empowers Canadians of all ages to eat more fruits and veggies to improve their health while providing simple and practical ways to add a variety of produce to every meal and snack. Half Your Plate is fun, practical and informative while providing tips on how to prepare fruits and veggies using different colors, fla- vors and textures for meals and snacks at home, at school, at work, eating out or on the go. Make a healthy choice! Fill half your plate with fruits and veggies. Fill half your plate with fruit and vegeta- bles at every meal! Pick a fruit or veg- etable when snacking! Increased con- sumption of fruit and vegetables has been proven to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as some cancer, heart disease and stroke. "Half Your Plate has a clear, con- cise message that is applicable to all age groups. Our messaging has been devel- oped in consultation with representa- tives from the entire produce industry, health organizations including the Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Public Health Agency as well as regional pro- duce marketing associations (BC, Calgary, Ontario and Quebec) and con- cerned stakeholders. The new program aligns with efforts that are already working in the United States and pro- vides a consistent healthy eating mes- sage for all of North America," said Ron Lemaire, President, Canadian Produce Marketing Association. The website, www.halfyourplate.ca, features healthy eating tips and tricks to include more fruits and veggies with every meal, as well as recipes and nutri- tional facts on fruits and vegetables. The site blog.halfyourplate.ca is updated twice per week and features recipes, tips on how to work with specif- ic vegetables, guest bloggers and more. For more information, stop by booth #1274 or visit www.cpma.ca. Also con- nect on Twitter (@halfyourplate), Facebook (halfyourplate) and Pinterest (Half Your Plate). TSAMMA WATERMELON JUICE DELIGHTS WITH FLAVOR AND NUTRITION If you're going to produce the only nationally distributed fresh premium watermelon juice, you might as well do it right. That means hand picking, hand cutting and individually testing each melon for sweetness and flavor and using only those fruits that make the grade. That means figuring out a way to produce fresh juice year-round even though the growing season is only 10 months long. And that means originating from one of the country's leading producers of watermelon with operations in seven states. Add it all up, and you get Tsamma Watermelon Juice, a 12-ounce burst of flavor and nutrition, courtesy of Frey Farms. Loaded with vitamin C (45 per- cent RDA) and vitamin A (20 percent RDA, as beta carotene), each 8-ounce serving of Tsamma contains only 80 calories, which is 25-50 percent less than many other juices. Toss in water- melon's proven heart, eye and immune system benefits, not to mention its documented ability to help with exer- cise recovery, and Tsamma stands to rival everything from orange and grape juice to Gatorade. "We developed the juice because we knew that watermelon has many, many health benefits, and we wanted to just create a product that tasted real- ly good," Sarah Frey-Talley, CEO of Frey Farms, based in Keenes, Ill. The exercise recovery component played a large role in the development of Tsamma Juice. Frey-Talley was aware that marathon runners have long used watermelon and watermelon juice to decrease post-workout soreness and aid in recovery. This property of the juice is due to the uncommon amino acid, l-citrulline, which has been shown to help in the elimination of lac- tic acid. The name Tsamma is a tribute to the ancient South African ancestor fruit of today's watermelon varieties. With a time- less-sounding name, it's only appropriate that retailers will have a timeless, year- round supply of juice available, despite the fact that the water- melon season runs for 10 months, with January and February typically fallow. Frey Farms has solved that problem through the process of "hooping," in which melons are grown in tunnels during the winter to protect from frost. Cold pressed, lightly pasteurized Tsamma Juice has an SRP of $2.95- $3.99 for 12 ounces. Retailers like The Fresh Market, making large volume buys, offer the juice at two for $5. However you slice it, or squeeze it, the juice has been a hit. "It's doing incred- ibly well," explained Frey-Talley, who notes the company has been hearing from unexpected new fans. "What has been really incredible is hearing from cancer survivors who are undergo- ing chemotherapy. That typically leaves a metallic taste in the mouth, and we're hearing people say that after drinking the juice, they're left with a clean taste in their mouth, nothing metallic; and doctors are recommending it because it's so hydrating." Frey Farms, based in Keenes, Ill., has growing operations in seven states in the Midwest, Southeast and West Virginia. The company is a leading national supplier of watermelons and pumpkins, and produces a number of other crops. It supplies Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, Walmart, Target and all other top 25 retailers, as well as specialty retailers. For more information, visit www.tsamma juice.com or freyfarms.com, call 812- 874-3373, email sales@freyfarms.com or visit booth #1883.

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