Savor the Flavor of Fresh Produce Longer

The 300 percent growth in the number of Farmers Markets reflects America’s flourishing devotion to buying fresh fruits, vegetables and meats.

In 1994, when the USDA began publishing the National Farmers Market Directory, it listed 1,755 Farmers Markets. Last year, the number exploded to 5,200. This summer, as grocery shoppers prepare for the 2010 Directory’s release amid National Farmers Market Week during the first week in August, GE supports the growing movement toward locally grown, fresh food with the recently released ClimateKeeper2™ system and the upcoming My Pyramid addition to its line of microwaves.

Unfortunately, about 40 percent of all food purchased by Americans gets tossed, according to a recent survey*. With the average family of four spending $170** per week on food, that adds up to more than $3,500 per year in food purchased and wasted.

The answers: making fresh produce more appealing, convenient and economical with the 2010 GE Profile™ and GE® side-by-side refrigeration lines and giving busy consumers an easy tool to cook fresh produce quickly and tastefully in the microwave.

GE Profile side-by-side refrigerators with the ClimateKeeper2™ dual-evaporator system create ideal conditions to maintain maximum freshness of fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods longer, so food isn’t wasted. Spinach salad is still crisp and tender after several days, and lemon slices stay bright and moist even five days later.

How ClimateKeeper technology protects your produce
The ClimateKeeper2 system creates two separate climates to maintain food flavor and quality, a humid fresh-food compartment to retain the moisture in fresh produce, and a more arid freezer side to reduce the freezer’s defrost cycles. On certain models, a single-evaporator ClimateKeeper system maintains even, accurate temperatures to protect a variety of foods.

GE side-by-side refrigeration prevents unnecessary waste and helps save money with advanced food-preservation systems. The ClimateKeeper system features four electronic sensors for constant monitoring of foods, along with an air tower, and external, easy-to-read controls with actual temperature display. Refrigerators with the ClimateGuard system feature three electronic sensors and easy-to-use exterior controls. A freshness center helps maintain flavor with two humidity-controlled crisper drawers.

Cook vegetables to perfection with a push of a button
GE is pioneering a road to healthy eating in conjunction with the USDA, one of the first product companies to do so. GE is introducing the My Pyramid button to its convenience menu, available in fall 2010, for microwaves ranging from $100 to $500.

"For the most part, convenience buttons have historically been tied to unhealthy food choices,” says Jonathan Bostock, Product Manager, GE Global Products. "GE’s new addition will help consumers focus on healthy eating strategies.”

The new microwave button will give users a preset time and power level to cook veggies, such as asparagus and broccoli, and produce delectable results. As more consumers turn toward Farmers Markets to purchase their groceries, GE helps them protect and maintain the food’s freshness, ultimately helping to reduce the amount of food that spoils before being eaten. Then, GE takes a step further by helping consumers prepare those vegetables quickly and as easy as the touch of a button.

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About GE - Appliances & Lighting
GE - Appliances & Lighting spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use, GE Appliances & Lighting uses innovative technologies and ecomaginationSM, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort and convenience. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

About GE’s ecomagination
GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, more than 90 ecomagination-approved products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation. The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. As part of the initiative, GE launched "GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid,” a $200 million financial commitment challenging innovators to join in building the next-generation power grid. For more information, visit the ecomagination website at ge.ecomagination.com/index.html.

Notes
* The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and its Environmental Impact, November 2009 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
** Household Food Security in the United States, 2007 from the Economic Research Service/USDA

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