Charlotte, North Carolina-based Dole Food Co. is taking its line of ready-to-eat (RTE) salad bowls national with the launch of Dole FreshTakes Salad Bowls in supermarkets throughout the West, following a successful debut in the Eastern U.S. in 2019.
Now, retail and produce managers from coast-to-coast can order six single-serve, RTE salad bowls featuring clean-label ingredients, Dole’s signature dressings and toppings. Dole is offering four flavor varieties with meat protein and two varieties without—the same classic and regional recipes that have performed well in the East.
“The ready-to-eat salad market is expanding as Americans increasingly want a fresh salad experience that is flavorful and convenient and delivers a satisfying meal,” said Lisa Overman, Dole’s director of brand marketing for North America. “Already the country’s most recognized name in packaged salads and salad kits, Dole is also the country’s most recognized brand in RTE salads nationally.”
The six single-serve Dole FreshTakes Salad Bowls have a suggested retail price (SRP) of $3.99. They include:
- Dole Classic Chicken Caesar FreshTakes Salad Bowl: Dole romaine lettuce topped with white-meat chicken, Parmesan cheese and Dole’s own caesar dressing;
- Dole Santa Fé Style FreshTakes Salad Bowl: Dole romaine lettuce topped with chili lime-seasoned white-meat chicken, fire-roasted corn, four-Mexican cheese blend and Dole’s own taco ranch dressing;
- Dole Turkey & Bacon Country Cobb FreshTakes Salad Bowl: Dole iceberg and romaine lettuces topped with turkey breast, hard-cooked eggs, uncured bacon pieces and Dole’s own blue cheese dressing;
- Dole Café Style Chef FreshTakes Salad Bowl: Dole iceberg and romaine lettuces topped with uncured ham, seasoned turkey breast strips, cheddar cheese and Dole’s own buttermilk ranch dressing;
- Dole Savory Spinach Dijon FreshTakes Salad Bowl: Dole spinach topped with hard-cooked eggs, Monterey jack and Colby cheddar cheese blend, wonton strips, almonds, cranberries and Dole’s own sweet onion Dijon vinaigrette dressing; and
- Dole Cranberry & Candied Walnut FreshTakes Salad Bowl: Dole Spring Mix blend topped with feta cheese, dried cranberries, candied walnuts, flatbread sticks and Dole’s own raspberry vinaigrette dressing.
According to Overman, the FreshTakes line was developed and timed specifically by Dole’s product innovation team to offer salad users distinct, discernable advantages over existing RTE salad bowls on the market.
“While Dole may not be the first to offer ready-to-eat salads, our intention is always to provide salad lovers with a full-flavored salad that delivers quality ingredients and differences they can see, taste and appreciate,” she said. “For FreshTakes, this means a short list of clean-label ingredients you can pronounce without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It also means flavorful, white-meat chicken, plus Dole’s toppings and signature dressings to create a balance of flavors and textures that deliver truly ‘craveable’ salads.”
Beyond the six single-serve core salad bowls, Dole announced plans to extend the national FreshTakes line later this year with the introduction of new flavors that bring even more variety to the category.
A global packaged salad and salad kits leader, Dole offers 66 different packaged salad varieties including its popular Chopped! Salads, Slawesome! Kits, Premium Salad Kits, FreshTakes Ready-to-Eat Salads and other salad mixes and slaws.
