News

Earlier this month, Rijk Zwaan’s yellow Sweet Palermo® pointed pepper received the highest possible rating of three stars in the International Taste Institute’s Superior Taste Award 2020, and the red Sweet Palermo was awarded a very commendable two-star rating. Sweet Palermo is the first sweet pointed pepper to receive this award, which revolves around flavour.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, vegetable growers and processing companies in countries such as the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany are looking to accelerate their transition to mechanical harvesting. Although the biggest focus is on leafy vegetables, growers of other crops are also interested in increasing the level of automation, according to interviews conducted by vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan among its European chain partners.

Salanova® Teenleaf is an innovative salad concept. In terms of size, this ‘teenager’ is halfway between a babyleaf and a fully mature head of lettuce and it combines the best of both worlds. These lettuce varieties are already successfully grown on high density in soil, harvested mechanically and used in all kinds of fresh-cut salad blends in the USA and Australia. At Fruit Logistica 2020, vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is introducing a choice of new Teenleaf varieties for high density hydroponic production.

There is good news for all who love salad and like to eat healthy. At the Fruit Logistica 5-7 February, vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan presents its Cabbisi™ concept that has been launched last year. Cabbisi™, the mini salad cabbage, is the healthy innovation in the salad category and has many potential to become a consumer’s favourite!

At this year’s Fruit Logistica (5-7 February 2020), vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is presenting its new snack brand: SN!BS. “With the launch of SN!BS, we aim to inspire retailers and traders worldwide to drive further growth of the snack category and help consumers make healthy choices,” comments Jan Doldersum, Manager Chain & Retail. The launch of SN!BS is a good fit with ‘Stronger together’, which is Rijk Zwaan’s theme for Fruit Logistica 2020.

Good news for salad processors and convenience food suppliers: all popular salads are now possible to mix thanks to a broad assortment of Knox™ lettuce varieties. The vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan is introducing a large number of new lettuce varieties with this innovative trait. KnoxTM reduces pink discoloration, thereby extending the shelf life of lettuce mixes and preventing spoilage. The new varieties will be on display during two major events in February: the Fruit Logistica on 5-7 February in Berlin and the Rijk Zwaan International Open Field Days on 10-14 February in Murcia, Spain.

Rijk Zwaan has a clear long-term goal: a healthy future. To achieve maximum impact in the chain, the vegetable breeding company based in the Dutch town of De Lier is a strong advocate of working in close collaboration with partners. The company has therefore chosen ‘Stronger together’ as the theme for its stand at Fruit Logistica 2020 – the major international fresh produce trade show which will take place from 5 to 7 February in Berlin.

The concept has clearly hit the right spot… the small, organic vegetables sold loose under the catchy name of ‘Little & Fresh’ have proved so popular with consumers in an initial pilot by Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo that the retailer will be rolling out the pilot to 15 of its stores in 2020. In particular the open and transparent collaboration between all the chain partners has been hugely inspiring, according to Harm-Jan Eikelenboom, Marketing Manager at The Greenery, and Peter Polak, Purchasing Manager at Naturelle. This collaboration underlines Rijk Zwaan’s theme for the Fruit Logistica (5-7 February) in Berlin: ‘Stronger together’.

Lettuce is one of the most widely eaten vegetables in the world. It is in the top 10 in the USA, and even holds the number-one spot in a number of countries in northern Europe. Lettuce is so versatile that its use is definitely not limited to salads. It is also an unmissable ingredient in hamburgers, sandwiches and convenience concepts, for example. With the right type of lettuce including extended shelf-life, you’re assured of success every time. But how can you choose the perfect lettuce? Rijk Zwaan’s lettuce specialists can help.

“I was really blown away a couple of times today. Wow – I didn’t realise things were already so advanced!” said Jim Stolze, tech entrepreneur on Saturday 2 November. He was chair of the one-day TechnoHouse event – the leading in-house technology festival organised by vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan.