First National Orange Juice with Omega-3s Introduced by Tropicana

11/01/07 Tropicana is taking cardiovascular health to heart. Tropicana Products, Inc., a division of PepsiCo, Inc., announced this week it will offer the first national orange juice to include omega-3s, the fatty acids known for helping to promote heart health. The juice will appear in grocery stores nationwide beginning this month.

Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s includes a high-quality, specially encapsulated, marine-based source of omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acids to offer consumers heart-health benefits in a convenient way at breakfast. Prior to Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s, good sources of omega-3s EPA and DHA were largely confined to seafood, especially fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna, which are not frequently consumed by most Americans.

Fewer than 25 percent of American adults consume the daily value of omega-3s EPA and DHA. Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s delivers 50 milligrams of omega-3s in every eight-ounce glass, making it an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids Americans need.

"Orange juice is a perfect food to make it easier for people to consume more omega-3s in the diet," said Mark Andon, PhD, director of nutrition for Tropicana. "Orange juice is the most popular juice in America and the benefits of drinking Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s build on the other heart health benefits of orange juice, including it being a sodium and saturated-fat-free food and supplying a good source of potassium."

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), supportive, but not conclusive, research shows consumption of EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The exact way in which EPA and DHA work to promote health heart is unknown, but research continues to explore their potential function.

"By including omega-3 fatty acids in the juice, Tropicana has once again used innovation to help consumers fill a void in their diet," said Jim McGinnis, Tropicana vice president of marketing. "As part of its offerings, Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s delivers what people have come to expect from Tropicana - nutrition they need with the fresh-squeezed, straight-from-the-orange taste they want."

Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s is available for a suggested retail price of $3.49 for a 64-oz. carton which is the same as the suggested retail price for other Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juices.

The reformulation of Tropicana Healthy Heart with Omega-3s further enhances Tropicana's line of products that are aimed to meet the individual nutritional needs of consumers. Other juices include: Fiber, Low Acid, Light 'n Healthy with Calcium orange juice beverage, Light 'n Healthy with Pulp orange juice beverage, Healthy KidsT and Tropicana Antioxidant Advantage.