RETAILER, CUSTOMERS "HAIL" CAESAR SALAD

CHRIS YTUARTE

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Even Brutus would have feared this Caesar.

Raley's supermarket here, along with Fresh Express, Salinas, Calif., recently tried for the record books by creating a 3,000-pound fresh Caesar salad, complete with croutons the size of loaves of bread and four-foot-long salad tongs.

A meticulous, ceremonial measuring of the the salad, with dozens of shoppers looking on, not only ushered in the excitement of setting such a record, but also allowed the companies involved to pique people's interest in another very big, healthy event.

In attempting to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for building the largest salad ever created, the two companies also helped raise awareness for the National 5 A Day campaign, which was the main goal of both parties, according to Steven Hanratty, vice president of perishables at Raley's.

"We didn't do this as much for setting the record, or as a promotion or gimmick, as we did it to inform people about 5 A Day week," said Hanratty, "We feel it's a very important part of people eating healthier."

The creation of the monstrous salad began at 6:00 a.m. and was completed over the course of four hours by nearly a dozen workers from both Fresh Express and Raley's. Representatives from the local press were there from beginning to end, said Hanratty, and customers who stayed around to view the spectacle seemed "excited and energized."

On display in Raley's parking lot for the day, the world's largest Caesar salad was served up in a specially designed 430-cubic-foot wooden bowl that measured 16 feet across and four feet deep.

Inside the mammoth serving dish were more than 800 cloves of elephant garlic, 900 wedges of cheese and 30 loaf-sized croutons, specially delivered by Raley's bakery, all on top of nearly 1600 heads of romaine lettuce.

"It was one big bowl of health!" said Hanratty.

Serving the enormous greens was possible through use of the four-foot long salad tongs specially created for the promotion.

"It was quite a sight, and everyone got a real kick out of it," said Hanratty. "We were glad that we could educate so many people on the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables. The whole thing was about education for us."

Crowds that gathered to gawk at the spectacle throughout the day often stayed to shop and find out more about the 5 A Day program and what it was all about.

"We were especially happy when someone came out who didn't know anything about 5 A Day and left with at least some idea of how to eat healthier," said Hanratty. "The salad turned out to be entertaining as well as educational."

After carefully measuring each aspect of the salad and recording the results, Fresh Express and Raley's offered up samples of the packaged Fresh Express Caesar Salad with Light Dressing, and the two companies donated another 1,000 pounds of fresh salad to Food For Families, a local food bank that provides needy families with sustenance. Unused portions of the salad were properly disposed of; the bowl stored away for any possible future endeavors.