Apples in a more convenient form

by Nicole Weston, Posted Feb 15th 2006 @ 10:45AM

Though it may seem as though the food processing industry is constantly trying to improve on nature, twisting it into new and more appealing forms, sometimes it turns out that they are not trying to improve on it as much as they are trying to help it compete with the ever growing range of packaged products. With consumers asking for more natural and more organic products, it would seem that they would turn back to old standbys, like nature's single-serving snack: the apple. The problem with the apple is that it is not as easy to eat as a bag of chips, there's a low "munchability" factor that would drive you to reach for more. Today's consumers are used to having a product go straight from the package to their mouth, without having to pick it apart - or bite off pieces a bit at a time. Packaging Nature's finest into a convenient, ready to eat form takes more work that you would think, despite the fact that apples come off the tree ready to eat. The New York Times Magazine did a great job chronicling the fascinating development of the prepackaged, non-browning apple slice. No longer will modern snackers have to contend with slicing, disposing of cores or trying to avoid the previously inevitable browning of their flesh because almost every store now carries the fruits, perfectly preserved and ready to finally be eaten.

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Filed Under: Farming, Business, Newspapers, Ingredients, New Products
Tags: apple processing, apples, apples slices, apples snacks, bagged apple slices, bagged apples, browning apples, convenience, convenience foods, convenient, food packaging, fruit, natual foods, nature, new york times, new york times magazine, nyt, packaged apples, prepackaged foods, snacking, snacks, stop apple browning

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-15-2006 @1:31PM mpeng said... It sounds stupid--I had the same reaction to salad in a bag, but my kids love apples in a bag--available at costco...
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2-19-2006 @7:02PM anonymous said... I'm sorry, but is it really that hard to cut an apple and place it in a ziploc? And as for the browning, a simple rub with a cut lemon will not only prevent discoloration but also enhance the sweetness of the apple. America is getting lazier and lazier.
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