Sam does salad:Fresh Express has hired Carmel Valley chef Sam "The Cooking Guy" Zien to promote its new Fresh Express Seasonal Salads line, now being test marketed in San Diego at Vons, Albertsons and Henry's stores. The bagged salad line features four varieties of mixed tender, gourmet baby greens that are so flavorful, Zien says they need virtually no dressing. French Blossom Trio includes tangy radicchio and French Blossom mache; Crimson Petite Spinach has red-stemmed baby spinach leaves; Sierra Crisp Herb mixes seasonal fresh herbs with Sierra Crisp lettuce; and Daisy Girl Medley mixes red lettuce with other greens. The greens are grown in Salinas and Yuma and the varieties will vary seasonally. To launch the line, Zien is hosting a recipe contest for the best "undressed" appetizer salad and entree salad recipes using the Seasonal Salads products. Entries can be submitted through Sept. 30 at www.seasonalsalads.com. Winner receives $500 and a year's supply of salad mix.

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Desserts for one: Edwards Frozen desserts has introduced Singles A La Mode, a line of its frozen dessert products in single-serving packages. The desserts are designed to be assembled in two steps. The bottom part is microwaved for 45 seconds, and then topped with a layer of frozen ice cream. Varieties are Hot Fudge Brownie, Hot Turtle Brownie and Hot Apple Crisp. They sell for $2.89.

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Frito-Lay gets nuttier: Frito-Lay Co. has expanded its TrueNorth Snacks line of all-natural nut cluster chews and nut crisps. New varieties are Apple Cinnamon and Citrus Burst TrueNorth Nut Clusters, and Almond Cranberry TrueNorth Nut Crisps. True North Snacks, priced at $3.29, are sold in multi-serving, 4- to 5-ounce resealable bags in the supermarket nut aisle.

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Hawaiian water says aloha: Hawaiian Springs, a Hawaii-based bottled water company, is now distributing in San Diego County health food and gourmet markets. The bottled-at-the-spring water is low in minerals and high in alkaline pH (the highest in the natural water category) and electrolytes. Sold in 500-ml, 750-ml and 1-liter bottles, Hawaiian Springs is available at Whole Foods, Boney's, Jimbo's, Frazier Farms and other retailers.

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Flavored fish in foil: StarKist Tuna has introduced a new line of flavored tuna and salmon products in foil pouches. StarKist Creations, sold in 4- to 4.5-ounce pouches, are designed to be served on sandwiches without the need for dressing or mayonnaise, and range from 60 to 80 calories per serving. Flavors are Tuna Creations Herb & Garlic, Sweet & Spicy, Hickory Smoke and Zesty Lemon Pepper; Albacore Creations Tomato Pesto and Salmon Creations Mango Chipotle.

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Allergen-free muffins: Vina Wong, an El Cajon-based caterer/food scientist has created a line of muffins formulated especially for people with multiple allergen sensitivity. The Muffin Physics line (featuring flavored muffins and breads) is free of yeast, sugar, gluten, dairy, egg, soy and nuts. Instead, her ingredients include rice, tapioca and potato flours, hemp and flax seeds, sea salt and xantham gum. The Muffin Physics products are sold at Jimbo's in Carlsbad and Del Mar and some Whole Foods markets. Muffin Physics come in three flavors: Carrot-Ginger, Chocolate-Banana and Raisin-Hemp.

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Cookies done Simply: Pillsbury has introduced Simply, a new line of refrigerated cookie dough made with no artificial ingredients. The new 14-ounce packages, which make 12 cookies each, contain no trans fat, high-fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Priced at $3.29, the Simply line includes just two varieties: Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter.

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Nature Valley goes bite-size: Nature Valley Granola, which produced the first packaged granola bar in the country in 1975, has expanded its granola line with the introduction of Granola Nut Clusters, a line of bite-size granola clusters sold in a multiserving, 5-ounce resealable bag priced at $3.79. Varieties are Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut.

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Fast food chains take wing: Wendy's and El Pollo Loco have added wing snacks to their menus in recent months. Wendy's new boneless wings are crispy chunks of chicken breast hand-tossed in Sweet & Spicy Asian, Bold Buffalo or Honey Barbeque sauce. And on Monday, El Pollo Loco debuts its Buffaloco Wings, made-to-order roasted chicken wings smothered in choice of Spicy Buffaloco or Tangy BBQ sauce. El Pollo Loco's wings will be sold in quantities of five, 10, 20 or 30.

Have a new food product you'd like featured in the "Shopping Cart" column? E-mail information to the food section at the North County Times, at food@nctimes.com. Or, mail a press kit to: Food Editor Pam Kragen, North County Times, 207 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Escondido, CA 92025.