Jan Doldersum, co-ordinator of international marketing projects at Rijk Zwaan, receives the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award 2006 in Berlin, handed to him by Robert Broadfoot, director of Dr. Rolf M. Wolf Media GmbH (Fruchthandel Magazin), organiser of the award.

During the final day of the Fruit Logistica in Berlin, Salanova® was declared the best innovation of the year. Convenience lettuce Salanova® of seed breeders Rijk Zwaan in De Lier was already one of the innovations nominated by a jury of professional experts. At the world’s largest international trade fair for fruit and vegetable marketing, the choice of the public was the determining factor in voting Salanova® the most appealing new product.

Salanova® is the brand name Rijk Zwaan uses for those of its lettuce types which are quick and easy to prepare. This convenience lettuce was developed to give consumers, food-processing plants and the food-service industry a large number of advantages. Simply by cutting off the stem, the lettuce falls apart into numerous ready-to-use small leaves (‘One cut…ready!’). These decorative leaves are uniform in size, have a crunchy texture with a good flavour and keep well.

Jan Doldersum, co-ordinator of international marketing projects: “We are extremely proud and delighted to have won this prestigious award. This success is also thanks to our partners worldwide, who were first in taking on the challenges of growing, processing and/or marketing Salanova®. We would of course also like to thank all those visitors in Berlin who voted for our innovative lettuce. This award gives us as a seed breeding company the extra motivation for continuing the breeding programme of Salanova to enable us to offer consumers and other players in the chain a tasty, fresh lettuce you can prepare in seconds!”