"del monte" news and stories

There's been an unexpected spike in vending-machine news this month (yes, Slashfood counts two noteworthy changes in that industry as a "spike" ). Last week it was about touch-screen technology on the outside, now it's about the snacks contained inside.

College students at Notre Dame have another weapon in fending off the notorious "freshman fifteen": Del Monte fresh fruit and vegetables are currently available in vending machines all over campus, offering a healthier alternative to the usual corn-syrup and salt-laden options. The machines will also be introduced at The University of Miami and Miami-Dade College.

The snack packs -- which are specially packaged to ensure you don't bite into a limp veggie or soggy piece of fruit -- include bananas, pineapple chunks, apple slices, grapes, baby carrots, celery and tomatoes (and some include low-fat dips as well). All of them are 120 calories or less.

"We are excited about the launch of Del Monte Fresh Produce Company's fresh fruit and vegetable vending line at Notre Dame," said Dennis Christou, Vice President of Marketing, N.A. at Fresh Del Monte to Slashfood. "With the rates of obesity among children and adults rising, and the increasing emphasis on the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables, it is important to give consumers healthier options in as many venues as possible."

Two supermarket chains pulled College Inn No MSG Chicken Broth from store shelves after Del Monte Foods Co. issued a voluntary recall for mislabeling, the Associated Press reports.

The broth contains a wheat allergen left off the label in addition to monosodium glutamate, a flavor enhancer.

Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. and Giant Food Supermarkets both pulled the product over the weekend, the AP said. Del Monte told Slashfood in a statement it had not received reports of illness related to consumption of the mislabeled broth.

Cans included in the recall are 14.5 ounces with the UPC 2400032230.

"College Inn values the health and well-being of its consumers, and regrets this situation," Del Monte spokeswoman Chrissy Stengel told Slashfood in a statement.

Are you concerned about food safety? Tell us about it in the comments below.

[Via Associated Press]

Bratwurst. Photo: Keaggy.com.

A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

Grillwalkers are the newest street-food trend in Germany. Vendors with propane canisters strapped to their backs and grills suspended from their necks sell freshly grilled sausages to passersby.

U.K. man finds an apple that's perfectly split, half green and half red. Experts say that the odds of finding an apple with such perfect symmetry are more than 1 million to one.

Nationwide, restaurants participate in Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out to benefit child hunger through Sep. 27.

Someone left a bacon bookmark in a U.K. library book; it was found by a librarian/artist who added it to his collection of quirky items left in returned books.

Coming to an office near you: Del Monte has a new line of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables specifically designed to work in vending machines.

If a study about clean car interiors done by Taco Bell, makers of the oh-so-portable Crunchwrap, wasn't interesting enough. Canned- and fresh-fruit and vegetable giant Del Monte recently released the results of a study saying that Americans aren't eating enough fruits and vegetables. The study, "State of the Nation's Plate," says that only 10 percent of Americans are eating the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, according to a recent article in Food Business Review Online. What's more, it says that less than half of Americans are aware of the current dietary guidelines suggested by the Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA.

Source

Fresh Del Monte Produce, Inc. will end its pineapple growing operations in Hawaii in roughly two years, according to a recent AP article. Del Monte, which has grown pineapples in Hawaii since 1916, said it would now be cheaper to buy the fruit on the open market than to continue growing, marketing and distributing the fruit themselves. The final crop of Del Monte pineapple, set to go in the ground later this month, will produce fruit until mid 2008.