NEVER-FRIED FRENCH FRIES

Mr. Dee’s Inc., Libertyville, Ill., launched Dee Amoré Simply Baked, never-fried French fries with less than 1 gram of fat per serving. Made from 100% Pacific Northwest Russet potatoes, these crinkle cut fries are baked to perfection with nothing but a sprinkle of sea salt—and never fried in the process. Plus, they’re all-natural with no preservatives, have just 0.5 grams of fat and 90 calories per serving, 89% less fat and 25% fewer calories than the leading national brand of frozen fries.

RESTAURANT-QUALITY POTATO SKINS

Mr. Dee’s also expanded its Dee Amoré line with a festive, upscale holiday appetizer collection featuring a 27-piece Shrimp Collection, which includes shrimp money bags, shrimp spring rolls and shrimp and crab rangoon, along with a Thai sweet chili dipping sauce; the 21-piece Shrimp, Crab & Lobster Puff Pastry Collection, consisting of crab and lobster pinwheels, shrimp and spinach bowties and shrimp and lobster Newburg; and Loaded Potato Skins with Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, nitrate-free bacon and chives. Each all-natural, restaurant-quality collection is handmade and boasts a suggested retail price of $9.99-10.99.

PROTEIN-PACKED SNACK WRAPS

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., energized the protein-based snack category with Hormel REVWraps, a protein-rich snack that’s made with real meat and cheese and contains 15 grams of protein or more. No assembly or preparation needed. They come in Pepperoni Pizza, Ham and Cheese, Peppered Turkey, Meat Lovers Pizza, Italian Style Ham, Hot Peppered Ham, Italian Style and Spicy Italian Style varieties, and are available nationwide with a suggested retail price of $1.99-2.39 for individuals and $5.49-5.99 for a 3-pack unit.

RECIPE-READY VEGETABLE BLENDS

Pinnacle Foods’ Birds Eye brand now includes Birds Eye Recipe Ready vegetable blends, created to cut out prep time for cooks nationwide. All items are pre-cut, sliced and diced, and offer unique recipes on the back of each 14-ounce package. They come in about 20 varieties, including Tri Color Pepper & Onion, great for fajitas; Chopped Green Peppers & Onions, perfect for chili; Primavera Blend for Chicken & Pasta; and Stew Blend for Beef Stew.

APPLEWOOD BACON ROLLS

Stefano Foods, the Charlotte, N.C., maker of high-quality, ready-to-heat items, released the newest addition to its protein-filled snack roll line. The Applewood Bacon Roll is an easy-to-prepare breakfast item that warms up in just 30 seconds. These portable rolls contain a slice of Applewood Bacon surrounded by Stefano’s soft and moist dough. Bacon Rolls are shipped frozen and merchandised refrigerated with a 14-day shelf life. Each 15-ounce package contains six fully-baked, 2.5-ounce rolls with a suggested retail price of $2.99.

ALL-NATURAL CHOPPED SALAD KITS

Dole Foods, Monterey, Calif., launched a line of all-natural chopped salad kits to arrive in stores mid-September. The chopped salad kits include Chipotle & Cheddar, Bacon & Bleu and BBQ Ranch. Meanwhile the Chopped Salad Blends come in Asian, and Summer Garden. These salad kits and blends are packaged in open-design bags with a suggested retail price of $2.99-3.99.

GRAB-AND-GO SOUP

Blount Fine Foods, Fall River, Mass., launched a team of premium, single-serve 10-ounce grab-and-go retail soups available in New England Clam Chowder, Creamy Tomato, Broccoli Cheddar, Chicken Tortilla, Baked Potato and Chicken Noodle varieties. Each hand-crafted batch of soup boasts a 70-day shelf life.

HEAT-AND-GO MAC & CHEESE

Blount Fine Foods also launched 10- and 16-ounce cups of heat-and-go Mac & Cheese under the Panera Breadbrand. Production will begin in September, with product shipping and on the shelves at better grocery and specialty stores nationwide a few days later.

SIGNATURE GOURMET SIDES

 Blount Fine Foods now offers “Signature Sides,” which include Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries, Butternut Squash, Mac & Cheese with Smoked Bacon, Buffalo Style Chicken Mac & Cheese, Signature Mac & Cheese, Mashed Cauliflower with Cheddar Cheese, Creamed Spinach with Mushrooms, Organic Spiced Lentil & Chickpeas, Organic Kettle Black Beans, Organic Butternut Squash and Cinnamon Apple. The entire line is shipped and sold frozen and available for foodservice in cases of four 4-pound bags. The retail club packs come in a 32-ounce bag in a tray.