Advance Food Company Reduces Sodium in Top-Selling CN Products

By FoodChannel Editor | July 7, 2010 3:07 am

Advance Food Company announced this summer the results of Phase One in their ongoing efforts to reduce the sodium content in their line of Child Nutrition products. The company successfully reduced the sodium content of its five top-selling items by an average of 25 percent. Advance featured many of these products at the SNA Annual National Conference in Dallas this summer.

Flamebroiled Beef Pattie, now with reduced sodium

In an effort to make an immediate impact on the school lunch program, Advance Food Company targeted the top-selling items in the company. According to Michael Turley, Vice President/School Sales, the company chose to re-formulate existing products rather than introduce new items. “We felt this was the right thing to do. We could have developed new products and introduced them to the market over time, but if we wanted to make an impact right now, this year, we needed to improve the products that already had broad acceptance and distribution,” Turley said.

By reducing the sodium in these five key items prior to the start of the 2010-2011 school year, the company will in effect reduce the sodium by 25 percent in over 100 million portions of protein. This is no small feat and will do much to assist America’s school foodservice directors in meeting their goals for the coming year.

According to the company’s dietitian, Jill Parker, MS, RD/LD, SNS, not only has the company been able to achieve the 25 percent reduction, they were able to do so with no noticeable difference in flavor and overall quality. In sensory tests and evaluations by children and adults, the new formulas have been validated with excellent reviews. “We are very proud and excited that we were able to implement this change without compromising the product attributes which have made these products so successful,” Parker said. “Most importantly, I am proud of this company for shouldering the burden and risk of a project such as this in the interest of our kids.” For more information, you can visit the company website.

Advance has already begun the next phase of their initiative, targeting their complete line of Child Nutrition products for a 25 percent reduction of sodium. Their goal is to complete the R&D process and have the new products in production by the start of the 2011-2012 school year.

Advance Food Company is a leading national manufacturer of value-added, center-of-the-plate protein products for the foodservice industry. Advance manufactures over 2,000 pre-portioned, ready-to-cook and fully-cooked beef, pork, veal, lamb, turkey and chicken products. Advance products are served everyday in restaurants, business and industry venues, schools and universities, military bases and healthcare facilities across the nation and around the world. Advance is a family-owned company with over 2,000 employees.

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Advance Food Company is a sponsor of The Food Channel’s coverage of the School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference.