Fresh Samantha Pioneers New Beverage Formulations

by Judy Rice

Fresh Samantha, Inc., a processor of premium pasteurized and non-pasteurized juices, headquartered in Saco, ME, is making news on multiple industry fronts.

In the new products category, Fresh Samantha has extended its line of about two dozen refrigerated fruit and vegetable juices and nutritional beverages with the introduction of "Crazy Cranberry" and "Razzamataz" both packaged in 16 oz plastic, recloseable bottles. The cranberry juice product is fortified with calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D, and Razzamataz is made with raspberries and limes.

The company pasteurizes its juice blends, and also produces a line of freshly squeezed orange and grapefruit juices. A strict cold chain is maintained throughout processing, packaging and distribution of the juices. The products are marketed across New England, in New York City, and in Washington, DC in grocery stores, convenience stores, health clubs, and restaurants.

Fresh Samantha's registered dietitian, Carol Coughlin, notes, "Crazy Cranberry has as much calcium per cup as milk. Calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are essential nutrients, and most of us are not getting enough in our diets."

With regard to Razzamataz, Coughlin points out, "Both raspberries and limes contain natural compounds that can help prevent cancer."

On the ingredients front, Fresh Samantha is enthusiastic about the sweetening system used both for Crazy Cranberry and Razzamataz. The beverages are sweetened with 100% organic agave nectar derived from the Blue Agave plant, a tropical succulent that looks like a baby cactus.

Says Coughlin, "Agave is a wonderful source of fructose. Agave nectar contains 2.89 calories per gram. It's all-natural, organic, and it's sweeter than sucrose. So you don't need to use large quantities to achieve desired sweetness. In addition, fructose doesn't raise blood sugar as quickly as sucrose does."

In the food regulatory arena, Fresh Samantha is working with the Food and Drug Administration on a pilot HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) program for the fresh juice industry. HACCP, already mandatory in meat, poultry and seafood processing plants, is designed to analyze the entire production system from raw ingredients sources to finished product delivery systems. The analysis identifies potential contamination and sanitation problem areas where food safety or quality might be compromised, and then measures are devised to prevent their occurrence.

In late 1997, Fresh Samantha and its citrus supplier were accepted by the FDA to participate in the pilot program which is still in progress. In April 1998, FDA announced a proposal to make HACCP mandatory for all packaged fruit and vegetable juices, both pasteurized and unpasteurized. So by being involved in the pilot project, Fresh Samantha has placed itself on the ground floor of standards setting for juice industry HACCP and in a good position both to give input and gain insights from the regulatory agency.

In the announcement proposing mandatory HACCP for the juice industry, the FDA notes, "Juice processors would be free to employ microbial reduction methods other than pasteurization, including washing, scrubbing, antimicrobial solutions, alternative technologies or a combination of techniques. Manufacturers of unpasteurized juice would be required to adjust their processes to achieve a 100,000 fold reduction in the numbers of harmful microbes in their finished products compared to levels that may be present in untreated juice."

When the rule is finalized, processors will have one to three years, depending on the size of the processing operation, to implement HACCP, with largest companies being called upon to implement earliest.

In its announcement, the FDA also cited agency estimates of between 16,000 and 48,000 cases of juice-related illnesses each year in the U.S. The agency further notes that 98% of the juices sold in the U.S. are pasteurized.

For more information contact: Fresh Samantha, Inc, 84 Industrial Park Rd., Saco, ME 04072. Tel: 1-800-658-4635, Fax: 1-207-284-8331.