New Meal Planning App Pairs Recipes With Nutrition Info

- Traverse Bay Farms, the company behind the app, is a family-owned business based in Northern Michigan that was founded in 2001. It specializes in fruit-based wellness products and has won more than 38 national food awards for its salsas, barbecue sauces, and juices. - The accompanying OrchardLens platform is a visual discovery tool; users can upload or take a photo of a fruit or vegetable to instantly see its nutritional profile, health benefits, and meal ideas. - The "Every Day Meal App" is designed to provide simple food pairing ideas for the company's products, such as salsas and jams, rather than focusing on complex, step-by-step recipes. - The app's goal is to help users integrate the company's existing gourmet food products into daily meals, from breakfast to dinner and snacks. - Meal planning has been shown to help families save money by reducing impulse buys and food waste, which the USDA estimates accounts for up to 40% of the food supply in the U.S. - For Fremont residents, the app's shopping lists can be used at several year-round farmers markets, including the Kaiser market on Thursdays, the Niles market on Saturdays, and the Irvington market on Sundays. - Children who regularly participate in family meals tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and consume fewer sugary drinks. - Current seasonal produce available at Bay Area markets, which can be identified with the OrchardLens tool, includes leafy greens like kale and spinach, as well as beets, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.