Taura's concentrated fruit prime for private label

Private label retail-ready fruit snacks that are on trend are set to take center stage for Taura Natural Ingredients at PLMA 2013 in Chicago.

Representatives of Taura Natural Ingredients (Winchester, Va.) will be at the show to discuss with retailers and brand players how its URC® (Ultra Rapid Concentration) products can be used to create delicious and natural ready-to-eat fruit snacks made with real fruit with no added sugar or HFCS, or artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

Taura’s booth will also highlight the opportunities URC fruit offers for creating snacks that provide slow release energy, a benefit sought by increasing numbers of health-conscious consumers.

Independent testing conducted recently at the University of Otago in New Zealand on two of Taura’s biggest selling items—Apple Strawberry and Mixed Berry pieces—confirmed conclusively that both were low on the glycemic index (GI). This indicates that they release energy slowly into the blood stream—which can help to keep hunger at bay and assist in controlling blood glucose levels.

Richard Croad, president of Taura North America, said: “URC fruit ingredients are perfect for retailers and manufacturers who want to market snack products that are on trend. They taste great, they’re natural and they do not contain any of the things consumers want to avoid. In addition, their low GI status makes it possible for retailers and food companies to promote healthier snacks that consumers will value as a positive addition to their diet and as a tasty alternative to sugar confectionery.”

PLMA takes place at Chicago’s Rosemont Center from Nov. 17 to 19, 2013. Exhibiting on Booth F4516/4517 at Sky Hall, Taura will also showcase its wide range of URC fruit ingredients, which are suited to private label applications in bakery, cereals, nutritional bars, snacks and confectionery.

All of Taura’s URC fruit products and ingredients are certified Kosher and can be manufactured to USDA Organic standards. The company has a sales office in Winchester, Va., and warehouses in California, Virginia and Illinois, ready to supply companies across the U.S.

URC® (Ultra Rapid Concentration) is a unique process of concentrating the taste, texture and natural goodness of fruit into pieces, flakes and pastes for use in applications such as fruit snacks, chocolate, baked goods, cereals, confectionery and snack bars.