There’s veggies in the juice!

There are some new offerings among the fourpacks of shelf-stable halfcup bowls of fruit.

Del Monte has introduced a line called Fruit & Veggie Fusions. In case that makes you envision something like a cuplet of apples and corn, the name is accompanied by an explanation/slogan: “The Veg is in the Juice!” After the rather unnecessary !, the explanation on the package back continues, “But you’d never know it!”

In all four varieties, the fruit is delivered in the same “lightly sweetened” vegetable-juice mixture: water, the concentrated juices of pumpkins, sweet potatoes and butternut squash and sugar.

Combined with the fruit, the result is said to be a USDA serving equivalent to a half cup of fruits and vegetables: 75 percent fruit and 25 percent vegetables. The choices are Peach Strawberry (peaches, the juice combo and strawberry puree concentrate), Peach Mango (peaches, the juice combo and mango puree concentrate), Cherry Fruit Trio (peaches, pears and cherries, the juice combo and pear juice concentrate) and Apple Pear Watermelon (apple, pears, the juice combo and pear juice concentrate). Although all include natural flavor (and other things), the watermelon in the name of that last version is from nothing but natural flavor. Where I found them, Fruit & Veggie Fusions were selling for the same price as other Del Monte fruit cups.