St. Louis, Missouri, USA
July 31, 2025

July 31, 2025) — Vegetables by Bayer and DNO Produce have teamed up to promote healthy eating habits among school-aged children. This unique and exciting collaboration empowers schools to offer fresh vegetables, while reducing food waste through maximizing the full production potential of the crop. The collaboration also addresses the needs of processors and consumers while creating opportunities for vegetable growers.

Vegetables by Bayer along with DNO Produce, the exclusive provider of FRESHEALTH fresh-cut produce, are helping to make nutrition enjoyable and accessible by introducing new fresh-cut broccoli chips to K-12 school children. These chips are the sweet-tasting snack of the future, offering a tasty and wholesome option that is also fun to eat. When children understand how delicious vegetables help them grow, stay active and feel good, they are more likely to make healthy eating choices on their own.
 

“It’s incredibly exciting to bring a new snacking vegetable to consumers that truly has it all — sweet-tasting flavor, snackable crunch and responsible roots. This is the kind of innovation that gets people excited about eating more vegetables,” says Jenny Maloney, Director of Industry Relations for Bayer Vegetable Seeds. “We are collaborating with DNO Produce to provide nutritious snacks to schoolchildren, making healthy habits more accessible for every student.”

Experts from the R&D team at Seminis®, a brand of Vegetables by Bayer, are continuously driving innovation in vegetable breeding, developing advanced seed solutions to help meet the evolving needs of growers and consumers – leading to the development of the long-stem High Rise® broccoli series. Unlike traditional compact broccoli, High Rise broccoli features tall stems, uniform heads and few large leaves, resulting in clean stems and a product that overall helps with ease of harvest. These stems are then processed by FRESHEALTH to create ready-to-eat products for K–12 schools, which has already received a positive reception in early in-school pilots. This approach generates a new market for growers, reduces on-farm waste and improves access to healthy foods in schools.

“There’s no better place to launch a new vegetable variety than in a school cafeteria! Kids are honest, adventurous eaters and their feedback is second to none,” says Alex DiNovo, President of DNO Produce. “Our mission has always been to increase access, exposure, education and excitement around fresh fruits and vegetables. We know the green vegetable subgroup can be one of the hardest to fill, and these broccoli chips help create a crunchy, creative, compliant option for school foodservice operators.”
 

What was once an underused by-product in broccoli production, the tall and uniform stems can be used in multiple culinary applications. The tender and sweet-tasting stems can be processed into not only chips but sticks, stars and coin shapes. The versatility means it can also be processed into rice and noodles or used in slaw and other dishes to add texture while adding flavor. Broccoli chips are currently in the pipeline for future school foodservice offerings, with plans underway to expand availability. However, harvest timing and supply are still being finalized. Stay tuned for updates as we work to bring this exciting new product to more students nationwide!

Vegetables by Bayer and DNO Produce are working together to bring nutritious, enjoyable vegetables to consumers in a way that supports healthier eating habits. Vegetables by Bayer focuses on developing flavorful, vibrant varieties that meet the needs of growers, the foodservice industry, and consumers. DNO Produce transforms these vegetables into convenient, craveable snacks, making it easier for people—especially kids—to enjoy more vegetables every day. Together, they’re advancing a shared mission: making fresh choices more accessible and appealing – all in service of a healthier world.

Stop by the Vegetables by Bayer booth #319 at the IFPA Food Service Conference on Friday, August 1st for more information or to grab a sample of the crunchy snack!

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros.

About DNO Produce

DNO Produce is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to transforming how children consume fresh produce in the classroom, the cafeteria and their communities. Founded in 1989, DNO Produce (DNO) has grown to provide fresh, healthy, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables across seventeen states, employing over 220 people. DNO’s FRESHEALTH product line offers individually packaged produce tailored for school nutrition programs, food service operations, retail grab-n-go and meal kits, featuring innovative items like crinkle-cut cucumbers, watermelon radish coins, jicama sticks and golden kiwi to make eating fruits and vegetables fun and accessible for kids. 

DNO’s dedication to child nutrition extends beyond its products, providing robust educational resources like the SnackTime Explorers Program, leading efforts to pay off school meal debt during the pandemic and providing donated volunteer labor to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective’s Summer Meal Program. Recognized as the International Fresh Produce Association 2022 Industry Advocate of the Year, DNO has championed child nutrition policies, engaging in grassroots advocacy and collaborating with elected officials to ensure greater access to fresh produce for school children.

Published: August 8, 2025