SALADS
Florette’s tasty and balanced range THE new leafy based Tasty & Balanced range from Florette presents on-the-go consumers with a high protein, low carbohydrate lunch option. Incorporating Florette’s fresh and healthy salad ingredients, the range offer consumers a choice of two flavours – tuna and sweetcorn, and sweet chilli chicken – both under 180 kcals per serving. Both flavours are served in a deep dish bowl and come complete with a fork and two separate sachets of dressing and sprinkles, enabling consumers to personalise their salads. It is distributed by Ginsters Van Sales Company who have nationwide coverage and have a dedicated team of representatives delivering seven days a week to over 5,000 customers, including student union shops, hospital cafes, service stations and convenience stores including Pumpkin and Whistle Stop. Florette picked up an award for the range - its first entry into the food-to-go market - in the Innovation Challenge Awards 2016 at the last lunch! show
awards, designed to promote and celebrate new ideas in the marketplace. Florette was one of 16 brands shortlisted from a field of over 60 entrants. The judging process was rigorous, with each shortlisted brand invited to pitch new innovations to a panel of esteemed industry judges, including
senior team members from Tossed, En Route International, Costa Coffee, Elior, and The Food Innovation Consultancy. Out of Home Channel Controller at Florette UK and Ireland, Tracy Southwell, said at the time: “We’re delighted our Tasty & Balanced range has been recognised in the Innovation Challenge Awards. It’s a real honour to receive this accolade, particularly amongst 64 innovative products – and especially for a product which is so recent to the market.”
Grolocal’s hydroponic urban farm THE launch of a hydroponic urban farm by grolocal is giving businesses an opportunity to cut down on expenses and offer customers something different with home-grown herbs, spices, and micro-greens. For large scale grocery, food chains, and healthy food providers, leasing a grotainer could prove to be the competitive advantage they’ve been looking for, it says. The food market has become increasingly crowded but the product means that it’s possible for businesses to grow highly nutritious produce at just a fraction of the cost of buying from suppliers. The yield of the grotainer gives firms lots of scope, with the option to sell produce directly to consumers or to include
them in the preparation of meals and snacks, giving them a unique twist. David Charitos, Managing Partner, said: “Standing out from the crowd in the food market can be a challenge. But having the ability to grow your own spice, greens, and herbs can mean you have something different to offer customers and really gives you the flexibility to try different flavours, knowing that all the ingredients are fresh. Having the option to grow some of the produce used means cutting down on expenses in the long run too.” The team behind the company are experts in hydroponic farming - the process of growing plants without soil - using nutrient solutions as an alternative. The farming method
32 May 2017 SANDWICH & FOOD TO GO NEWS
means it’s possible for businesses to grow plants anywhere, including in urban environments. The ‘farm-in-abox’ simply needs to be plugged in before businesses can start growing almost any fruit, vegetable, spice, or herb they want immediately. The farm containers come with a fully fitted production unit, including preparation and packing areas, meaning businesses don’t need to find further space in their existing premises to accommodate hydroponic farming. The company offers businesses a number of options when selecting to use the product, with the choice of purchasing the urban farm outright or to use the equipment on a lease basis.