Veggie Pasta Salad Kits make preppin' easy

Shoppers are in for a happy surprise as pasta makes its debut in the produce section, thanks to Dole Fresh Vegetables' line of four innovative Fresh Makes™ Veggie Pasta Salad Kits. Developed by chefs for the busy home cook, each kit is complete and ready-to-prepare in less than 14 min. Boil the pasta, toss with fresh pre-washed, pre-cut veggies and mix with the kit's dressing and other included toppings. And voilà, it serves up to four. The pasta, veggies and dressing are each packaged in a separate, sealed film pouch to keep the components fresh until they are used. The four kit varieties are Broccoli Ranch with corkscrew pasta, Garden Vegetable with bowtie pasta, Italian Herb with penne pasta and Cheddar Bacon Ranch with shell pasta. Each may be served warm or chilled and may also be enhanced with other ingredients to the consumer's liking. The clamshell package, which showcases all of the ingredients, is completely recyclable and resealable. The suggested retail price is $3.99. The Veggie Pasta Kits are contracted-packed. The kit is packed in a plastic clamshell container from Wilkinson Industries, Inc. (www.wilkinsonindustries.com) made from NaturesPLAstic™, claimed to be the first-ever thermoformed food container made from corn. NaturesPLAstic™ is made from a biologically-based polymer called NatureWorks™ PLA, developed by Cargill Dow LLC (www.cargilldow.com) and uses up to 50 percent fewer fossil resources than conventional plastic. It also composts back to the carbon cycle, keeping a balance in nature.