Manitoba Harvest Adds Unsweetened Hemp Bliss To Award-winning Line

The First Unsweetened Organic Hempmilk on the Market is Naturally Rich in Omega-3 and Protein

Winnipeg, Manitoba (March 25, 2008) - Healthy hemp foods are one of the hottest trends in the organic marketplace and now, Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods & Oils is pioneering the way once again by offering the first unsweetened organic hempmilk in North America. Unsweetened Hemp Bliss Organic Hempmilk is a beverage innovation that follows close on the heels of the Best New Food Product Award that was recently bestowed on the Manitoba Harvest (www.manitobaharvest.com) line of Hemp Bliss non-dairy organic hempmilks (Original, Chocolate and Vanilla varieties) at the 2007 Natural Products Expo East trade show in Baltimore.



Unsweetened Hemp Bliss Organic Hempmilk provides the powerful nutrition and pleasant nutty flavor of hemp seed in a convenient non-dairy beverage. It is a nutritious and delicious alternative to dairy, soy and grain-based drinks, and the new Unsweetened allows Manitoba Harvest to meet the demands of customers that prefer unsweetened products for health, flavor and culinary reasons. Unsweetened Hemp Bliss naturally provides a boost of 1,200 mg of Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs), 5 grams of highly digestible protein and 250 mg of powerful Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) per serving. Overall, it contains more Omega-3, -6 and -9 EFAs than any milk including dairy and other alternatives such as soy, rice and almond.



Unsweetened, Chocolate, Vanilla and Original Hemp Bliss varieties are offered in a 32-ounce carton for $4.99 and are widely available at mainstream grocery and natural health stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. It is rich and creamy and can be enjoyed straight up as a drink or used as an ingredient in a variety of recipes. Perhaps most notably, Hemp Bliss is a nutritious boost for smoothies. "Hemp Bliss Unsweetened is ideal for blending into a wide variety of recipes because it has a clean, neutral flavor profile that allows the other flavorful ingredients to really pop out of the mix," says Kelly Keough, a sugar-free and wheat-free chef that is also a TV host and Author of The Sweet Truth Cook Book (www.kellykeough.com). Two of her favorite recipes that feature Unsweetened Hemp Bliss are listed below.



"Because it is a refreshing and convenient ready-to-drink beverage, Hemp Bliss is ideal for people that try healthy organic hemp foods for the first time," notes Mike Fata, President and co-founder. "This innovation is inspiring consumers to try other hemp foods," he adds. In addition to Hemp Bliss, Manitoba Harvest produces a popular line of organic cold-pressed Hemp Seed Oil, Shelled Hemp Seed, Hemp Seed Butter and Hemp Protein Powder. "People are finding out that hemp foods are extremely nutritious - and then they try them and discover that they have a great flavor and gourmet appeal," says Fata.



Unlike other fortified non-dairy beverage brands that have complex formulas and are loaded with sugar and a myriad of other processed and synthetic ingredients, Manitoba Harvest Unsweetened Hemp Bliss is keeping things simple and wholesome with only 4 ingredients (filtered water, organic hemp seeds, sea salt, and xanthan gum). Unsweetened Hemp Bliss contains no added sugars, synthetic flavors, vitamins, minerals, additives or preservatives. People with food sensitivities will be pleased to learn that it is Lactose-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Rice-Free and Gluten-Free.



Consumer demand for dairy milk alternatives has been growing for many years due to vegetarian preferences and concerns about dietary sensitivities to dairy, growth hormones in dairy milks, and animal rights and other environmental issues associated with dairy production. Some people simply don't enjoy t