Viands Concerted: Fresh Chips Save up to Five Cents Per Serving over Fries.

Business Editors/Food Writers

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2004

Viands Concerted(TM) has introduced a new food product to the foodservice industry that is aimed at the seemingly impossible, providing a desirable side dish that operators can serve at a lower cost than French fries. Viands Concerted(TM) is introducing a refrigerated potato chip that can be fried fresh to order. The dramatic savings come in the volume, serving, and freight differences associated with providing a compact, refrigerated product that fries to be greater in volume and servings than French fries. The savings have been targeted at "up to five cents per serving," by CEO David B. Linton. These savings will add up to huge numbers for restaurant chains serving millions, and in some cases billions, of servings per year of French fries.

In addition to the cost-saving attributes, the fresh chips seek to provide a flavorful alternative to what has become a somewhat commodity section on most menus - fried potatoes. The fresh chips will, according to D. Craig Linton (Executive Vice President), "allow operators the opportunity to deliver proprietary menu items through unique presentation styles and through the addition of specialty sauces, dressings, and seasonings. Our fresh chips will allow our chain customers to add variety to their menus without adding a lot of SKU's. In addition, they can save money and add value in the process." Fresh chips will also ease some of the challenges at the restaurant level by reducing fry time, extending fryer oil life by releasing less water into the oil and having few fines, and generally being very abusable and easy to use.

"The most impressive qualities of the fresh chips are their taste, texture, and versatility," according to Chef Jerry McDonald (Chief Culinary Officer). "The potato flavor is very pure and natural, and the chips are extremely crisp with a light crunch. From a culinary standpoint, they are unmatched." In addition to use as a side dish and replacement for French fries, Chef McDonald also sees fresh chips as providing big cost savings and big sales numbers in the appetizer arena for family and casual theme restaurants as well. "Multiple topping, seasoning, and flavoring options will drive chips as the new nachos on restaurant menus."

The ability to deliver a refrigerated and ready-to-fry potato chip has been made possible by their acquisition of an exclusive North American license to produce potatoes using the patent-pending Lintonizing(TM) process. The process, developed by Concerted Innovations(TM), allows potato processors to control browning, sugars, texture, and strength of their potato products. The process itself is gaining great accolades from people in the industry. "Lintonizing(TM) brings to the food industry one of the hottest processing innovations and more accurately the hottest innovation I have seen in the past thirty years. This will truly revolutionize fresh processing," said Larry Koppes (Senior Project Manager for EFI Group, LLC).

Viands Concerted(TM), a product development, sales, and marketing organization with more than twenty-five years of experience, is currently developing proprietary formulas of fresh chips for foodservice operators. Plant acquisition and construction has begun with the first facility to be open June 2004, followed by other facilities, currently under negotiation for the Fall of 2004 and the Fall of 2005. Viands Concerted(TM) is currently in negotiations with all potato producing states for possible plant locations.