Representing 23 fruits and vegetables from 16 soil rich, Southern U.S. states including the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Go South! features a wide variety of nutrient-rich, fresh produce options for any menu offering.
From quick service restaurants to white tablecloth or institutional, the Go South! program provides foodservice professionals with all the information you need to incorporate a diverse range of fresh fruits and vegetables into menus year-round.
Value and quality
Thanks to the strong trading partnership Canada enjoys with the Southern U.S., foodservice operators and distributors can benefit from Ontario’s close proximity to the south when local commodities are not available.
With today’s focus on buying local, consumers are more focused on food miles. How do you balance this environmental concern with offering variety on your menu? When you cannot source local produce, look to the Southern U.S. – it really is your next best choice for procurement. Within one day’s drive to most Ontario-based destinations, produce from the Southern U.S. does not have to travel as far as from other Western or global destinations.
Healthier Meal Options for Children
According to food trend expert Dana McCauley, fruit is now the most common snack for kids under six, usurping cookies, which has held the top snack spot for 20 years. This is also a growing trend in foodservice – many establishments have introduced children’s menus that incorporate fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables. By infusing children’s menus with a greater number and more diverse selection of healthy and fresh produce selections, quick service and casual dining establishments can attract an increased number of visits from families seeking healthy yet convenient meal options for parents and kids alike.Tips for children’s menus
- Have fun with fruits and veggies – they can be turned into faces, bowls, or carved into interesting shapes.
- Garnish plates with something interesting and nutritious, such as fruit or easy-to-eat julienne vegetables over leafy greens.
- Serve fruit with the main course – sliced strawberries, peaches, cantaloupe and honeydew make a tasty side dish.
- Kids like finger foods – try thinly-sliced produce such as zucchini, melon or baked sweet potato fries.
- Dips make eating veggies much more fun – and for an extra surprise, try using a hollowed out pepper as the bowl for the dip.
Recipe ideas for Kids
- Strawberry Pancakes are a nutritious option for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- Veggie-stuffed pizza pockets filled with mozzarella cheese, Southern U.S. shredded zucchini and eggplant in a flavourful tomato sauce.
- Sushi rolls featuring fresh Southern U.S. cucumber, green beans and mango.
- Sweet Potato Frittata made with Southern U.S. sweet onion, green pepper and spinach.
- Chocolate chip muffins packed with Southern U.S. zucchini.
Recipe ideas for Boomers
- Blueberry Pecan Flapjacks with Blueberry Sauce – for a fun change, add crunch to your flapjack by adding chopped pecans to the batter.
- Fresh Kale Caesar Salad – update the classic Caesar with kale, which is full of iron, calcium and folate, with a flavourful, creamy, low-fat dressing.
- Toasty Tostadas – a colourful blend of cabbage, corn and green peppers served on warm tostadas (toasted tortillas).
- Southern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes – pack Southern U.S. sweet potatoes, known for their boost of vitamin A and C, full of nutritious veggies, black beans and cheese.
With rich, year-round growing conditions just south of the border, Canadian consumers can delight in fresh blueberries and sweet corn, even when knee-deep in snow. The Go South! logo symbolizes produce excellence and is an indication of the pride and tender-loving care that each of our growers and shippers puts into supplying the finest and freshest fruits, vegetables and nuts the Southern U.S. has to offer.
Focus on Health
Canadian consumers are moving toward wellness and fitness, even when they dine out (Restaurant Industry Forecast, 2006). They still want to indulge, but want balance as well. Specifically, consumers are looking for more fruit and vegetable choices at foodservice establishments.
Meanwhile, a 2008 Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of grocery retailer Metro Inc. found that 55 per cent of Ontarians don’t have enough time to prepare healthy meals at home. And according to Statistics Canada’s Canadian Community Health Survey (2006), 46 per cent of adult males and 54 per cent of adult females eat below the recommended minimum number of servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
Registered Dietitian Cara Rosenbloom says that for optimal health, Canadians should be eating more vegetables and fruits – foods that can help combat cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Per Canada’s Food Guide, she recommends that Canadians get at least seven servings of vegetables and fruits per day.
By adding flavourful, nutrient-rich fresh fruits and vegetables from the Southern U.S. to menus year-round, foodservice operators can deliver on both taste and health for time-pressed consumers, and can help ensure that Canadians reach their recommended seven servings daily.
Growing Markets in Foodservice
By 2010 (Statistics Canada), more than 40 per cent of Canadians will be over the age of 50. With an increased disposable income, it is expected that these boomers will have the largest influence on driving trends in the foodservice, hospitality, and healthcare industries over the next five to 10 years.
One way that foodservice operators can attract health-conscious boomers is by incorporating “functional foods” or “superfoods” – fruits and vegetables that are believed to improve well-being and longevity – into existing or new menu selections. In fact, at the Guelph Food Technology Centre’s 2006 Strategic Symposium, market analysts predicted that growth in functional food will continue and could top out at $167 billion globally by 2010.
Incorporating and highlighting superfoods that provide benefits beyond basic nutrition, such as blueberries, strawberries and spinach, will be seen by consumers as a value-add – especially when, according to Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, nearly one in five Canadians will be 65 or older and 75 per cent will have at least one chronic disease by the year 2020.
Downloads
Click here to download the Foodservice Brochure
Click here to download the Foodservice Availability chart
Click here to download the Foodservice CareHandling chart