Fruit That Goes Crunch

A number of small companies have started to open up a new healthy snack food category over the last couple of years: freeze-dried fruit crisps. It has crept in under my personal shopping and professional radar, although I’m not sure why. It’s a great, tasty idea that certainly addresses today’s nutritional needs--and one that gives us crunch junkies a healthy fix.

I had noticed and bought a package of Sensible Foods, LLC, “Cherry Berry” in the fruit section of my local grocery a couple of months back and subsequently received a press release and samples from another company, Crispy Green, Inc. that was debuting a new Crispy Bananas product. (And I notice Gerber has a product geared for toddlers.) All I have to say is that my ten-year-old daughter passed on the candy, and we are now warring over who gets the last package of freeze-dried bananas—her or mom. Being in short supply in Illinois, I see no need to inform the others in my family of their existence. I’ve discovered there’s also freeze-dried sweet corn, freeze-dried edamame and—on my personal must “find” list—freeze-dried potato crisps.

Look at research that says 86% of moms report that nutrition is the No. 1 factor when purchasing food for their children. I’m a bit surprised these products haven’t hit the big time, especially in vending machines with their notorious dependence on nutritionally challenged snacks. Freeze-drying and barrier packaging doesn’t come cheap, so they are a bit pricey considering the current economic climate. But the nutritional benefits are undisputable, and anything that wows both the candy-loving 10-year old and her potato-chip addicted mom has got to be a winner.

—Lynn A. Kuntz