Straus Family Creamery, the organic dairy processor in Petaluma, Calif., has developed a dairy-based frozen dessert that a company executive likened to "an energy bar for the ice cream category."

NuScoop is a nutrient-laden food marketed as a healthy snack. A 4-ounce cup sells in independent grocers and natural food stores in northern California for about $2. NuScoop does not meet the standard of identity for ice cream because of its lower butterfat content and use of other ingredients, thus the name "frozen dairy dessert."

A 4-ounce-serving (96 grams) delivers 6 grams of protein, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 25 vitamins and minerals. One serving contains 180 calories. The certified-organic product is made with milk, agave, cane sugar, coconut oil, canola oil and oat fiber, among other ingredients. It is available in coffee, Dutch chocolate and strawberry flavors.

"We're proud of everything on the ingredient list," said vice president of sales and marketing Rich Martin. "It's there for a reason."

Straus licenses the proprietary blend of oils, sweeteners and vitamins from NutriCopia, a company run by brothers Ron and Arnie Koss, who started the Earth's Best company. Several years ago, the Koss twins approached creamery owner Albert Straus at an Expo West trade show in Anaheim, Calif., Martin said. At the time, the recipe was conventional. Straus formulators spent two years to convert the recipe to organic and to search for suppliers.

Martin told Dairy Foods that Straus Creamery is also targeting the healthcare market. The foodservice market wants organic food, said Martin. He is in the final stages of signing a distributor to service hospitals, retirement homes, and colleges and universities.

NuScoop is positioned as an "occasional meal replacement." A 4-ounce serving is easier to "power down" than 8 ounces of a liquid nutritional supplement, Martin said, and there is less waste.

Straus also produces milk, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, butter and frozen yogurt mixes at its facility in Marshall on the coast.