LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2004--
Survey Finds 58% of Respondents Throw Away Fruits and Vegetables Most Often As America embarks on National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable month in June, results of a recent GE survey find the amount of food people waste because of spoilage in the refrigerator is astounding, particularly fruits and vegetables. In fact, 58 percent of consumers who responded to a national survey admitted to discovering spoiled produce more often than any other item in their refrigerator. The survey was sponsored by GE, innovator of its new refrigeration technology called ClimateKeeper2(TM).
With so much waste, it was not surprising that only three percent of GE survey respondents reported they consume the recommended minimum five servings per day of fruits and vegetables.
Your Mother was Right
Recognizing the importance and value of produce, GE has joined forces with the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) to support National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month this June and to encourage consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables, especially a colorful variety.
Fruits and vegetables are the original fast foods, says Linda Brugler, Nutrition Marketing Manager, Produce for Better Health Foundation. Keeping a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables handy at all times for snacking and meals makes it easy to enjoy their wonderful flavors and health benefits. Eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables every day is the delicious way to help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and high blood pressure as well as avoid those unwanted pounds.
Solving the 'Good Food Gone Bad' Dilemma
Seventy-eight percent of GE survey respondents acknowledged the discovery of spoiled items in their refrigerator at least once a month. And understandably, food spoilage costs consumers money. Over 90 percent of survey respondents admitted to wasting money each month because food spoiled before it could be eaten.
GE Consumer & Industrial offers a solution for consumers interested in preserving fresh food longer. GE is introducing its new ClimateKeeper2 refrigeration technology featuring two separate cooling systems - one for the freezer and one for the fresh food. An independent cooling system for the fresh food section allows humidity levels to increase substantially, helping keep food fresh longer.
Humidity plays an important role in keeping foods fresh, said Jerry Rose, General Manager of Refrigeration, GE Consumer & Industrial. Most foods - fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses - prefer an environment high in humidity. Unlike traditional refrigerators that use a single evaporator system to circulate air between the freezer and fresh food sections, ClimateKeeper2 technology uses a dual evaporator system to substantially increase humidity levels and help foods retain their freshness longer.
The GE Profile Arctica with ClimateKeeper2 technology (model PSH23PSRSV) is available now in stainless, white, bisque and black. The refrigerator is offered in a 23 cu ft. CustomStyle configuration with a suggested retail price range of $2599 to $3099. GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE:GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram(R), Profile(TM), GE(R), Hotpoint(R), SmartWater(TM) and Reveal(R) consumer brands, and Entellisys(TM) industrial brand.
For more information, consumers may visit www.geconsumerandindustrial.com.
Produce for Better Health Foundation, Wilmington, Del., is a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead the way to achieving increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables by leveraging private industry resources, leveraging public sector resources, influencing policy makers, motivating key consumer influencers, and promoting fruits and vegetables directly to consumers. The foundation is a member of the National 5 A Day Partnership, a confederation of government, not-for-profit groups, and industry working collaboratively and synergistically to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables for improved public health. The 5 A Day for Better Health program is the nation's largest public-private nutrition education initiative with 5 A Day coordinators in each state, territory, and the military. To learn more about PBH, visit www.5aday.org.
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CONTACT: GE Consumer Products, Louisville
Leslie Redford, 502-452-7184
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.GECIpressroom.com