MISSISSAUGA, ON. – Healthy Choice is launching five new flavors of its Gourmet Steamers product line to Canadians, including a 100% vegetarian option and several whole-grain options.

Among the products being introduced is the first Mediterranean-inspired, single-serve frozen entrée to the grocery store with a 100% vegetarian recipe – Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables, which includes whole grain rice. Two whole-grain pasta dishes are also being launched – Mediterranean Grilled Chicken and Lemon Garlic Chicken & Shrimp. The new Cajun Chicken & Shrimp is also entering the market, along with Thai Curry Chicken with whole-grain pasta.

“Healthy Choice is all about helping people to make healthy decisions and maintain well-balanced lifestyles, which include taking enough time over the noon hour for a nutritious and delicious lunch to fuel the rest of your day,” said Annabelle Nogueira, Healthy Choice senior brand manager. “Healthy Choice Gourmet Steamers can help people put lunch time on their schedules and keep it there because it’s an easy, healthy and enjoyable meal-time option packed with protein, fiber and nutrients. Plus, consumers can customize their meal by adding as much or as little sauce as they like.”

The Healthy Choice Gourmet Steamers line uses a unique microwaveable Duo Tray SteamCooker that circulates steam throughout the meal during cooking. This unique design separates the meal components and the sauce, allowing the sauce to steam each ingredient of the meal to retain its individual character and fresh taste. This addresses the key issues some consumers have with traditional frozen microwave meals, including the inability to taste individual ingredients, excessive uniformity in flavor and texture and unappetizing appearance, the company said.

Sodium levels in these products are well below the maximum levels that Health Canada will require for frozen entrées by 2016. All flavors of Healthy Choice Gourmet Steamers contain between 113 mg to 246 mg of sodium per 100 g, putting the product below Health Canada’s 2016 required maximum of 430 mg of sodium per 100 g for similar frozen entrées.

Healthy Choice Gourmet Steamers come in 12 recipes and have a suggested retail price of $3.99. Gourmet Steamers are available at most major grocery retailers throughout Canada.