WHY USE FRESH-CUT LETTUCE VS. COMMODITIES?

#1 FOOD SAFETY

• Fresh Cut produce is cut and washed in a state of the art processing facility is designed around a rigorous food safety and quality program.• The entire plant is refrigerated between 34° - 38° F and only

prepares fresh vegetables, no meats or other materials enter facility.

• The plant undergoes a complete sanitation every night.• The products are subjected to a multi-stage wash system that

includes a gentle agitation and foreign object filtering system.• No preservatives or additives are used!

• When processing commodity product, in-house, liability and possible exposure to cross-contamination rests with the operator.• A food borne illness due to post harvest treatment or cross

contamination can cost an operator $75,000 and devastate a brands reputation.

• All Fresh Cut products offer complete traceability from the field to the final package and is coded with the field, lot number, harvesting crew, date, and time of harvest.

SmartWash™ is a revolutionary wash addition that boosts and stabilizes the pathogen-

fighting power of standard wash systems. When combined with chlorine wash agents,

SmartWash™ maintains optimal levels of free-chlorine to ensure the consistent, and

effective, removal of microbial contaminants and 100% elimination

of cross-contamination.

SmartWash™

#2 CONSISTENCY• Stable Pricing• Food cost / Profit margins are stable with value added product.• Commodity prices fluctuate weekly which translates to variable

food cost and margin.• With VALUE ADDED Produce, food cost is stable 52 weeks/year and

therefore offer your operation constant profit margin per salad or item.

• Consistent Cut Size• Our products translate into the end customer being able to

purchase a salad in any location and get the same salad every time.

• Cutting Commodity product, in-house, can result in prep cook #1 cutting thinner strips, cook #2 cutting wide strips and the customer getting a different product both in the same unit, and in different units.

• Constant Yield• Commodity carton weights vary with price, therefore number of

salads made per carton will fluctuate based on weight & quality• Value added produce offers the same 100% useable weight and

number of portions in every case, every time!

• Add Food Safety to Salads and Other Fresh Cut Products

• Reduce Liability & Shrink• Achieve Consistency Among Multiple

Locations• Reduce Labor and Insurance Costs

• Assure Supply / Highest Quality Product• Stable Product Cost / Consistent

Margins• Reduce required storage space / Free

up space for other cooler items

HOW CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM VALUE – ADDED?

#3 REDUCED LABOR COST

• Using Fresh-Cut lettuce saves 30-60 minutes of labor per carton, versus

commodity product. • Add the cost of labor to the cost of commodity

product and this drives operating costs up.

• Commodity requires knife time for cooks, training, and inconsistency of yield due to how much is peeled away in process• Value Added Produce reduces: Knife time, workers comp

claims, injuries, and waste disposal costs.

TYPICAL YIELDS