Fruit and Vegetables
Watercress tops list aimed at defining the nutritional density that makes a “powerhouse” fruit and vegetable
Superfoods have been the rage for several years – the things that, if we eat them, are said to protect us from a variety of health issues.
Many a food item has had its 15 minutes as ‘the’ superfood, but a new list looking to define what exactly “powerhouse” fruit and vegetables (PFV) are put watercress at the top of the list.
The research, from the United States of America’s William Paterson University, rated 47 different fruits and vegetables on their compilation of fibre, calcium, protein, potassium, and vitamins, among other things.
Researchers developed and validated a classification scheme defining PFV as foods providing, on average, 10% or more daily value per 100 kcal of 17 qualifying nutrients.
Of the 47 foods studied, 41 satisfied the powerhouse criterion and were more nutrient-dense than were non-PFV, providing preliminary evidence of the validity of the classification scheme.
The researchers’ top 30 is as follows:
1. Watercress // 2. Chinese cabbage // 3. Chard // 4. Beet greens // 5. Spinach // 6. Chicory // 7. Leaf lettuce // 8. Parsley // 9. Romaine lettuce // 10. Collard greens // 11. Turnip greens // 12. Mustard greens // 13. Endives // 14. Chives // 15. Kale // 16. Dandelion greens // 17. Red peppers // 18. Rocket // 19. Broccoli // 20. Pumpkin // 21. Brussels sprouts // 22. Spring onions // 23. Kohlrabi // 24. Cauliflower // 25. Cabbage // 26. Carrots // 27. Tomatoes // 28. Lemons // 29. Iceberg lettuce // 30. Strawberries
The six that didn’t make the cut were raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onions, and blueberries.
R&G Fresh Herbs secures contract to supply foodservice giant with 16,000 100g bags of herb varieties on a weekly basis
The UK’s leading supplier of fresh cut herbs to the supermarket, foodservice and wholesale sectors has landed a deal with a major new customer.
R&G Fresh Herbs has agreed a contract for its Nature’s Flavours brand with foodservice supplier Reynolds to fulfil a weekly order of approximately 16,000 100g bags of 16 different fresh cut herb varieties.
The order represents a substantial part of the overall herb requirements of the foodservice business.
Dean Fowler, R&G’s general manager, said: “With a long history of supplying the finest fresh cut herbs in the UK, R&G is extremely well positioned to fulfil such an order.”
Representatives from Reynolds visited R&G’s main Woking site and toured the production and packhouse facilities as part of the due diligence process.
“The Reynolds team were very happy with what they saw, as R&G adheres to the most stringent quality control standards and operates a state of the art processing and production facility,” Fowler added.
The first branded fresh cut herbs to consistently feature micro-perforated packaging – something that allows the herbs to respire and thus prolong shelf life – has enjoyed significant commercial success since its November 2012 launch.
The Nature’s Flavours brand has supplied Whole Foods Market, Harrods and Ocado amount its retail customers, in addition to ingredients box suppliers such as Hello Fresh, a raft of wholesalers, and now Reynolds, as it makes significant inroads in the foodservice sector.