Canada-based biotechnology company Okanagan Specialty Fruits said the debut of its Arctic ApBitz dried apples has proved a big success. 

The snack product - a small bag of dried apple sticks made from genetically modified non-browning apples - was launched on Amazon.com in March.

It became the number one new release in both the snack and dried fruit categories, even being designated as an “Amazon’s Choice” product, the company said.

"To say [our] latest product has been extremely well received might just be an understatement," said OSF in a release.

ApBitz dried apples are made from Arctic Golden apples, the first Arctic apple variety that doesn’t brown when bitten, sliced, or bruised. The company said that the unique benefit means that the snacks do not require preservatives and are as healthy as the conventional alternatives.

“We decided to make Arctic ApBitz™ dried apples initially available online via Amazon.com so that everyone in the U.S. would have convenient access to our sweet and crunchable Arctic ApBitz™ snacks,” explains Neal Carter, President of OSF.

“One of the core initiatives behind Arctic® apples is to help reduce unnecessary food waste. Acknowledging that not all fruit is suitably sized for slicing, we’ve been working on innovative ways to use our nonbrowning Arctic® Goldens from this past harvest to give consumers more ways to eat more apples.

"ApBitz™ snacks are the result of these efforts and help us in our commitment to sustainability and the ability to maximize the benefit of our entire crop."

OSF is gearing up to launch a summer social media contest as part of its promotional plan to create awareness about the new product. The #BitzofSummer contest will have participants share on social media photos and videos of themselves enjoying ApBitz snacks on their summer adventures.

The contest begins on June 29 and the grand prize winner will receive a trip to the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, a world-class destination for wine, fruit and home to OSF.

The winner will also receive the opportunity to dine with Neal Carter and learn more about the founding of OSF and development of our Arctic apples.

www.freshfruitportal.com