Dole introduced its new DOLE® Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kits in select markets across the eastern and southeastern United States. The kits represent the industry's first new fresh vegetable product line catering to the growing sheet pan meal trend and fulfill growing consumer need for easy, single-pan meal options within the value-added vegetable category.
Available in Homestyle Roasted Herb, French Onion and Lemon Parmesan flavor varieties, DOLE® Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kits combine fresh, ready-to-roast vegetables with a paired seasoning, which can be used for both the vegetables and a favorite added protein such as chicken, seafood or tofu. When mixed and cooked on a conventional sheet pan, the ingredients combine to create a restaurant-quality meal in minutes for a family of four, with only one dish to clean-up.
Sheet pan meals have exploded in popularity over the past few years. According to Pinterest trend data, searches for "sheet pan dinners" more than doubled over the last 12 months as consumers searched for convenient ways to satisfy healthy meal cravings during the pandemic. Google searches for "sheet pan dinner" recipes have increased by more than 500% in the last five years, peaking in Q1 2021. There are currently more than 137 million results for "sheet pan dinners" on Google, consisting of primarily preparation techniques and recipes, including over 5,800 sheet pan meal options on Allrecipes.com alone.
The DOLE® Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kit line evolved through extensive product development in Dole's research and testing environment. Through this process, specific ingredients, spices and flavors were tested by culinary experts, including Melanie Marcus, Dole's in-house registered dietitian nutrition and health communications manager.
The DOLE® Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kit line is launching with three distinct flavor varieties, and Dole's product innovation team is working on additional future flavors.
* DOLE® Homestyle Roasted Herb Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kit – Whole baby carrots, mini red potatoes, green beans and rosemary thyme seasoning.
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DOLE® French Onion Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kit – Whole baby carrots, mini red potatoes, green beans and onion, garlic and parsley seasoning.
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DOLE® Lemon Parmesan Sheet Pan Meal Starter Kit – Whole baby carrots, mini red potatoes, broccoli florets and garlic parmesan and lemon pepper parmesan cheese seasoning.
