Cutting-edge research conducted by Dr. TaraMcHugh and Dr. Charles Huxsoll has led to thedevelopment of a new industry to manufacture100% fruit and vegetable products. These newproducts can be made from fruits andvegetables that are too small or have cosmeticimperfections, and thus cannot be sold as freshproduce. These fruits and vegetables areconverted to purees and refrigerated. Thepurees are then used to form edible pieces,bars, and novel shapes such as straws, sausagecasings, and film barriers to wrap other foodproducts.To successfully transfer this technology, Drs.McHugh and Huxsoll have initiated numerouspartnerships with numerous companies, amongthem HR Mt. Sun, Hadley Yosemite Farms,Yorkshire Dried Fruit & Nut Co., MeadJohnson & Company, and Gilroy Foods. Thetechnology transfer from these partnerships isin varying stages, from prototype developmentto licensing and production.The products resulting rom this team’stechnology offer a unique mix of benefits to thegeneral public. This technology is expected toincrease fruit and vegetable consumption in theU.S. In addition, American produce growerswill find that their production will haveincreased value since they will be able to makeuse of produce that cannot be sold in a retailsetting.