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NEWS ROUNDUP

Rising Sun Plans Lox TortasSun Farms here debuted its lox cheese tortas with horseradish and chives at the International Fancy Foods Show in New York last month.The torta blends top-quality lox with cream cheese, sweet cream butter and horseradish, then crowns the mixture with a scattering of chives.Packaged for the dairy, deli or freezer section, tortas are available in a 9.5-ounce size, and food

Rising Sun Plans Lox Tortas

Sun Farms here debuted its lox cheese tortas with horseradish and chives at the International Fancy Foods Show in New York last month.

The torta blends top-quality lox with cream cheese, sweet cream butter and horseradish, then crowns the mixture with a scattering of chives.

Packaged for the dairy, deli or freezer section, tortas are available in a 9.5-ounce size, and food service 1.5-pound and 2.9-pound sizes. Tortas can be frozen for one year and keep in the refrigerator for six weeks.

Muir Glen Celebrates Record Brix Year

PETALUMA, Calif. -- Like wine, there are good years and stellar years for vine-ripened tomatoes, say the Muir Glen people here. For the 1999 grilling season, barbecue sauce fans can celebrate a record brix year for Muir Glen tomatoes. Brix means sweetness level, and was measured at a record 6% to 7% for most of the harvest, the company said.

While the Garlic Mesquite, Original and Hot & Smokey barbecue sauce flavors are not new, they should be sweeter this year, due to the tomatoes in them. Normal brix levels are 5.3% to 5.5%. The company is even considering labeling the barbecue sauces with the year 1999, to play up the "very good year" aspect.

Coupons will be available at the meat counter for 50 cents off Muir Glen barbecue sauce with a purchase of Rosie chickens made by Petaluma Poultry Processors, also here in Sonoma County. The coupons were first distributed at Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets stores in California and the companies are expanding the market eastward.

The manufacturer is in discussion about pairing the barbecue sauce at retail with organic meats.

Sunsweet Extends Varieties

PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Sunsweet Growers here has introduced a dried-cranberry product and an expanded and enhanced specialty-fruit line.

Cranlings, a 100% naturally sweetened product, available in 6-ounce zipperlock, stand-up bags, are part of the cooperative's move to invigorate the dried-fruit category and build on its core prune business.

Cranlings are intended to compete head-to-head with Ocean Spray's Craisins. Howard Nager, Sunsweet's vice president of North America marketing, said Sunsweet expects to gain significant market share in the dried-cranberry category due to Cranlings' unique processing method that retains more of the natural cranberry flavors.

Fat- and cholesterol-free, Cranlings have a true cranberry flavor because none of the natural cranberry sugars are lost during processing, according to the company. Cranlings can be eaten as a snack or used as an ingredient in cooking.

Other new specialty-fruit items include Tropical Mix, with papaya, mango, pineapple, coconut and banana. Sunsweet is also introducing its new Nectarines to the line. As with all its specialty-fruit offerings, these products are naturally low in sugar for more fruit flavor.

Sunsweet's Fruit Morsels now include California apricots. Dried apricots now use new, higher quality California apricots; and dried apples now use the popular and flavorful Fuji apple variety.

Krinos Adds Three Spreads

NEW YORK -- Krinos Foods here has introduced a trio of new, all-natural Greek spreads as part of its Fresh Pack line. They are Black Olive, Feta Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper. Krinos' popular Taramosalata, delicate carp roe cured and aged, pureed with lemon, oil and spices, is now available as part of the Fresh Pack line. The spreads are available in 8-ounce containers.