A coup for small oranges

Filed in archive Around The Kitchen on July 20, 2006

The following press release is a stroke of genius!

Mother Nature Goes Mini - Introducing The New, More Convenient Oranges Designed By Mother Nature

With childhood obesity a national focus, orange growers in Australia (with a lot of help from Mother Nature), have produced navel oranges that are the perfect size for school lunch boxes and tiny hands.

As Mother's Natures' healthier alternative to junk food snacks, this season's orange crops have astounded growers by naturally adapting to produce this more convenient sized fruit which is about the same size as a small fist.

With approximately one third of school lunchboxes lacking any sort of fruit and growing concerns about childhood obesity, the smaller orange is great news for mums and dads and Aussie kids.

"Mother Nature is not only a smart cookie - she's beaut fruit!" says Mark Chown, President of Australian Citrus Growers Association.

"Everyone knows Aussie kids will gain weight if they snack on chips and processed foods, but look - here's Mother Nature reminding mums and dads that healthy snacks are easy and they don't have to be home cooked labours of love!

"Simply pop one of Mother Nature's mini oranges into a backpack or lunchbox to give the kids a sweet, juicy and most importantly, healthy lunch-time treat.

"It's amazing really. Our growers haven't mucked around with the crops or made any changes to the way we farm - this smaller more convenient size of oranges is simply a natural wonder!

"If only everything in this life was as convenient as this!"

Small oranges, like all oranges, are filled with potassium, protein and dietary fibre. They also provide children with their daily requirement of Vitamin C. Vitamin C has proven to be effective in helping to fight cold and flu symptoms and shorten the length of the sickness, making oranges one of the best ways for kids, and their parents, to beat the winter sniffles.

One orange accounts for one half of a person's daily fruit requirements, in accordance with the Federal Government's Go for 2&5® campaign.

FAST FACTS ON SMALLER SIZED ORANGES

- This season's oranges are naturally smaller navel oranges making them the perfect snack size for lunchboxes and little hands!
- Approximately one third of kids' school lunchboxes don't contain a single piece of fruit
- Almost half of Aussies eat their oranges whole. Peeling them first and then biting into them like an apple
- Smaller oranges are filled with potassium, protein and dietary fibre and contain the daily requirement of Vitamin C.

Why a stroke of genius? This harvest may have meant a loss for citrus farmers, with the fruits being less than the standard sizes. But with this spin of smaller fruits to fit children's lunchboxes, a loss has just been turned into a gain! What a perfect example of positive thinking! After all, an orange is still an orange. It has the same nutrients whatever the size.

[photo credit goes to Mildura Fruit Company]