AUG. 20– HOUSTON, TX — In a decision that may revolutionize how we eat, Suntex Group, Ltd. announced that The Kroger Co. has agreed to offer Suntex Clean fully sanitized, ready-to-eat fresh produce in all 125 area Kroger stores.

The Suntex Safety Wash System uses an U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved process that hand sorts freshly harvested premium produce, then washes, brushes and sanitize the produce without leaving a chemical residue.

Finally, it is sealed in special protective packaging, so that consumers can literally eat the produce right off the shelf without any washing or cleaning at home.

Suntex Clean produce line includes potatoes, Fuji apples, Gala apples, tomatoes, oranges, peaches and nectarines. Other fresh produce items will be available soon including cantaloupe, grapefruit and red potatoes.

“The goal of Suntex Clean was to find a way to clean and protect our product all the way to the consumer’s home without altering the flavor, nutritional value or integrity of the produce,” says Blake La Grange, founder of the Suntex Group.

Kroger decided to offer the Suntex Clean produce after a three-month pilot program and extensive market research in select Houston-area Kroger stores.

“The customer response was enthusiastic,” La Grange says.

The announcement follows a decision in January 2002 by the Food Safety Division of the United States military to offer Suntex Clean produce in its San Antonio commissaries as a pilot program.

“The pilot program is leading Suntex Clean produce into 10 additional commissaries serviced out of Dallas this year with the potential of nationwide distribution thereafter,” La Grange adds.