DOLE BOOSTED BLENDS® BERRY SPARK™ SMOOTHIE BLEND RECOGNIZED AS 2023 PRODUCT OF THE YEAR USA AWARD WINNER

40,000 American Shoppers Voted Dole Boosted Blends® Berry Spark™ Smoothie Blend as Most Innovative Product in the Smoothie Category of 2023

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Feb. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dole Packaged Foods, LLC today announced that its product, Boosted Blends® Berry Spark™ smoothie blend, a functional blend of fruits and vitamins to support brain and cognitive health, has been recognized as a winner of the 2023 Product of the Year USA Awards. Determined through a national study of 40,000 American shoppers in partnership with Kantar, a global leader in consumer research, Product of the Year is the largest consumer-voted awards program centered around product innovation, and Dole Boosted Blends Berry Spark is awarded the highly acclaimed honor of  the best product within the smoothie category.  

A globally established seal of approval, the Product of the Year emblem was developed over 30 years ago and has been a trusted CPG pillar in the U.S. for nearly 15 years. The early mission was simple: help  consumers cut through the noise on their grocery shelves and highlight the best new products when it comes to things that matter, such as thoughtful design, quality and innovation. As the world evolves on a daily basis, consumers are continuously in search of products that are smarter, more efficient, and easier to use. The Product of the Year red seal is a distinctive mark that allows shoppers to easily identify the top trendsetting products on the market, voted on by 40,000 fellow consumers, while also serving as a valuable marketing tool for brands to build consumer awareness, especially among competitors within their respected spaces.

"It is an honor to be endorsed by Product of the Year as a 2023 winner for Dole Boosted Blends Berry Spark in the smoothie category," said Orzse Hodi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Americas, Dole Packaged Foods, LLC. "We created this smoothie with consumers' health goals in mind, focusing on ingredients that support memory and focus with a unique mix of frozen fruit including bananas, blueberries and blackberries, and boosted cubes with dark cherries, acai and flax. This product's convenience and nutrient density is not only delicious, but it aligns with our Dole Promise of providing good nutrition to 1 billion people by 2025."

"Product of the Year is more valuable now than ever. The level of access consumers have to products today is unprecedented – far beyond retail aisles, they have DTC options, grocery delivery in the palm of their hands, and they can watch their favorite influencer review items they're considering purchasing in real time," notes Mike Nolan, Global CEO of Product of the Year Management. "Product of the Year is an established and increasingly relevant resource for CPG companies, helping their products stand out, and be understood and trusted by their customers. Entirely new 2023 categories of Product of the Year award winners further demonstrate the ever-evolving trends we are seeing in the U.S. market, and as a company we're thrilled to be at the forefront of recognizing these products for top performing function, design, packaging, or ingredients." 

The full list of 36 winners of the 2023 Product of the Year Awards were revealed at the annual Product of the Year Awards Show on February 16^th at the Current, Pier 59 in New York City. The celebration kicked off with a red carpet, followed by a night full of entertainment with Rachel Dratch and Alex Moffat hosting the Award Show.

In tandem with the winner announcement, Dole Boosted Blends Berry Spark is currently featured in a shoppable article on PEOPLE Online created in partnership with Dotdash Meredith, the largest digital and print publisher in America. Additionally, Ensemble IQ, a premier business intelligence resource with established publications, including Progressive Grocer, Store Brands, Drug Store News, Convenience Store News and CBD Retail Insights, has also shared the news of the 2023 winners in respective categories.

For further information about Dole Boosted Blends Berry Spark, visit dolesunshine.com. Additional details on the full list of 2023 Product of the Year Winners can be found at productoftheyearusa.com, along with on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter at #POYUSA2023.

ABOUT DOLE PACKAGED FOODS, LCC
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC, is a world leader in growing, sourcing, distributing, and marketing fruit and healthy snacks in four core categories: snacks, ingredients, beverages and fruit bowls. The company sells a full line of packaged shelf stable fruit, frozen fruit, dried fruit, and juices. The company focuses on four pillars of sustainability in all its operations: water management, carbon footprint, soil conservation and waste reduction. For more information, please visit dolesunshine.com.

About Product of the Year:
Product of the Year is the largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. Established over 30 years ago, POY currently operates in over 40 countries with the same purpose: Guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation. Product of the Year winners are backed by the votes of 40,000 consumers in a national representative study conducted by research partner Kantar, a global leader in consumer research.  The award is a powerful merchandising program for marketers proven to increase product sales, distribution, and awareness.  Winning products are announced in February each year and receive the right to use the Product of the Year logo in marketing communications for two years.  For more information, visit productoftheyearusa.com.

About Kantar:
Kantar is the world's leading marketing data, insight and consultancy company. We know more about how people live, feel, shop, vote, watch and post worldwide than any other company. Working across the entire sales and marketing lifecycle, we help brands uncover growth in an extraordinary world. Kantar is part of WPP and its services are employed by over half of the Fortune 500 companies in 100 countries.

SOURCE Dole Packaged Foods, LLC