ConAgra Foods Revamps Its Look, Pledges to Continue Delivering the Food Consumers Love

OMAHA, Neb., June 2009 – Consumers are being let in on a secret: ConAgra Foods is the face behind the brands they’ve had on their shopping lists for years. The company revealed a new brand identity today that highlights the tremendous appeal of its products to consumers-- the brand behind food people love; food like Hunt’s tomatoes, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn, and Healthy Choice meals.

The new identity was created after research with multiple stakeholder groups, including customers, revealed lack of association between ConAgra Foods and its popular brands. The logo itself features a new, more contemporary color palette along with a ‘spoon in plate’ icon designed to reinforce the company’s position as a leading food company. The tagline, “Food you love” reinforces the individual company brands that consumers love.

“Our new brand identity is an articulation of the essence of ConAgra Foods–making great food,” said ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin. “We’ve changed the company fairly dramatically over the past several years to get these strong brands and products at the core of everything we do.”

In 2008 the company sold its trading operation, exiting the commodity trading, fertilizer and ethanol businesses, and now focuses exclusively on branded packaged food sold at grocery stores and other retailers and food sold to restaurants and other manufacturers.

“We’re committed to our brands that consumers already know and love, while at the same time creating new, popular choices for generations to come,” Rodkin said. “We believe the new brand identity for the company captures both our heritage and our progressive spirit in becoming better and better every day for our consumers and our customers.”

ConAgra Foods brands are present in 97 percent of American households, with iconic brands such as Chef Boyardee, Marie Callender’s and Banquet. The company recently reinvented and reintroduced its Healthy Choice brand, combining innovations like Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers and All Natural Entrees, with redesigned packaging and a fresh outlook on advertising with its www.Working Lunch.com and www.SpokesPersonWanted.com campaigns.

The company will introduce its new brand identity through a targeted advertising campaign beginning June 2 that hits selected print, broadcast and online outlets.

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America’s leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip and many ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying potato, other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit the ConAgra Foods Website at www.conagrafoods.com

For more information, please contact:
Jeff Mochal
ConAgra Foods
402-595-7825
Jeff.Mochal@ConAgraFoods.com

www.conagrafoods.com

The Hershey Company Dresses up Halloween with Frightfully Delicious Treats

Houses with Black Shutters Give Out More Kit Kat Wafer Bars –
Hershey National Survey Reveals the Tricks for Planning Trick-or-Treat Routes

HERSHEY, Pa. --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 2009-- With 96 percent of Halloween shoppers planning to purchase candy this season1, Hershey has brewed up new ‘spook-tacular’ Halloween treats to excite trick-or-treaters and sweeten seasonal parties and candy dishes. Nine out of 10 people hand out snack-size candy, so Hershey has introduced new assortments of its snack-size treats dressed in themed shapes and colorful wrappers that will have trick-or-treaters howling for more. From pumpkin-shaped Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups to assorted Hershey ®’s Miniatures in festive foils, Hershey treats offer something for every ghost, ghoul and goblin celebrating the season. Plus, Hershey is helping trick-or-treaters satisfy their sweet tooth through an insider’s guide to which houses will hand out their favorite Hershey treats this Halloween .

Putting the ‘Treat’ in Trick-or-Treat

Add a twist on a classic favorite with new Snack Size Hershey’s Kisses® Brand Milk Chocolates. For the first time in its 102-year history, the iconic chocolate treat is available in trick-or-treat packages each containing three individually wrapped Hershey’s Kisses Chocolates. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the most popular Hershey candy given to trick-or-treaters2, introduces bags of Snack Size Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins. Chocolate and peanut butter lovers can now enjoy this perfectly tasty combination in festive-shaped, snack-size treats.

To make Halloween shopping eerily easy this season, Hershey offers a wide array of new candy assortments at retail, including:

  • NEW – Hershey’s Chocolate Assortment with 28 Snack Size Packages (Hershey’s Kisses Brand Milk Chocolates, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Milk Duds® Candy and Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème Bars)
  • NEW – Hershey’s Seasonal Shapes Assortment with 50 Snack Size Packages (Hershey’s Tombstone-shaped Moulded Bars in Milk Chocolate and Cookies ‘n’ Crème flavors, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins)
  • NEW – Hershey’s Candy Assortment with 100 Snack Size Pieces (Reese’s Pieces® Candy, Hershey’s Chocolate Lollipops, Milk Duds Candy, Jolly Rancher® Doubles Candy, Whoppers® Malted Milk Balls and Twizzlers® Rainbow Twists)
  • NEW – Hershey’s Candy Assortment with 125 Snack Size Packages (Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Crème Bars, Almond Joy® Candy Bars and Heath® Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bars)
  • NEW – Frightfully FunTM Snack Size Assortment (Twizzlers Rainbow Twists, Twizzlers® Pull-N-Peel® Green Apple, Jolly Rancher Lollipops, Jolly Rancher Doubles Candy and Good & Fruity®)
  • NEW – Good & Plenty®, Good & Fruity Snack Size Assortment
  • NEW – Hershey’s Monster MixTM Snack Size Assortment (Hershey’s Chocolate Lollipops, Jolly Rancher Doubles Candy, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Milk Duds Candy, Twizzlers Strawberry Mini-Bars and Jolly Rancher Cherry Hard Candy Stix )
  • NEW – Nuts & More Nuts Assortment with 28 Snack Size Packages (Hershey’s Mr. Goodbar®, Almond Joy Candy Bars , Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds and PayDay® Peanut Caramel Bars)
  • All Time Greats® Assortment with 100 Snack Size Packages (Kit Kat Wafer Bars, Whoppers Malted Milk Balls, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars)

Trick-or-Treating Tricks of the Trade

To help trick-or-treaters map their routes this Halloween , Hershey conducted a national survey to find out which houses were handing out their favorite Hershey treats. Following are some “tricks” to increase the odds of receiving desired “treats”:

  • Houses with black shutters are 77 percent more likely to hand out Kit Kat Wafer Bars and trick-or-treaters have a 37 percent greater chance of scaring up a Kit Kat Wafer Bar from a ranch house².

  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup lovers should forego ranch houses and opt instead to ring the bell of two-story houses where they’ll have a 26 percent greater chance of receiving the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter².

  • Knock on brown doors if seeking Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars. Trick-or-treaters have a 32 percent greater chance of receiving a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar from homes with brown doors².

‘Boo-tiful’ Candy Décor

Hershey also helps celebrate the season with treats adorned in festive foils to spruce-up home and office candy dishes. Debuting are Halloween Hershey’s Kisses Brand Milk Chocolates and Halloween Reese’s Miniatures Milk and Dark Chocolate Assortment, each individually wrapped in orange and black foils. Also new is Halloween Hershey’s Miniatures in purple, lime green, orange and black wrappers, adding a frightfully fun touch to seasonal décor.

Hershey’s seasonal offerings can be found at retailers nationwide. For more information on Hershey Halloween products, as well as costume ideas, spooky screensavers, desktop wallpapers, delicious recipes, craft activities and party invitations, visit www.TrickorTreats.com.

About The Hershey Company

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery. Headquartered in Hershey, Pa. , The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world and more than 12,000 employees. With revenues of more than $5 billion , Hershey offers such iconic brands as Hershey’s, Reese’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Kit Kat, Twizzlers and Ice Breakers as well as the smooth, creamy indulgence of Hershey’s Bliss chocolates. Hershey is a leader in the fast-growing dark and premium chocolate segment, with such brands as Hershey’s Special Dark and Hershey’s Extra Dark. In addition, Artisan Confections Company , a wholly owned subsidiary of The Hershey Company , markets such premium chocolate offerings as Scharffen Berger and Dagoba. For more than 100 years, The Hershey Company has been a leader in making a positive difference in the communities where we live, work and do business. The Milton Hershey School , established by the company’s founder in 1909, provides a nurturing environment, quality education, housing, and medical care at no cost to children in social and financial need. The School is administered by the Hershey Trust Company , Hershey’s largest shareholder, making the students of Milton Hershey School direct beneficiaries of Hershey’s success. Please visit us at www.hersheys.com.

1 National Retail Federation Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey , 2008, Iconoculture, 2008

2 Opinion Research Corporation Omnibus Survey, December 2008 , conducted on behalf of The Hershey Company

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Source: The Hershey Company

National Survey Reveals Moms Are ''Reddi'' for Real Ingredients

Stephanie Moritz, ConAgra Foods





Not All Toppings Are Created Equal: Reddi-wip(R) Real Whipped Light Cream and Award-Winning Pastry Chef Gale Gand Team up to Encourage Real Family Fun

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 2008--According to a national survey, American moms are trying to keep it real - searching for foods made from real, wholesome ingredients. More than 80 percent of moms surveyed say the inclusion of real ingredients is an important factor when making shopping decisions. In fact, moms surveyed said the top three deciding factors are taste, nutrition and inclusion of real ingredients. Reddi-wip, made with real dairy cream, is one example of what moms today are looking for. It is the only national whipped topping brand made with real dairy cream, providing moms everywhere with a creamy, delicious way to serve up "real" family fun.

"Foods made with real ingredients just taste better," said Gale Gand, nationally recognized restaurateur, cookbook author and pastry chef. "Reddi-wip is my first choice when it comes to whipped toppings because it is made with real dairy cream. Plus, it's convenient and can easily transform fruit and simple snacks into fun, delicious treats for family, friends and guests."

A squirt of Reddi-wip can turn a simple bowl of fruit into a treat or a cup of coffee into a small luxury. It is rich and creamy because its main ingredient is real dairy cream; most other national brands are primarily a mix of hydrogenated oil and water.

"As a pastry chef, I prefer fresh ingredients that are either homemade or taste like it, but like many busy moms, I don't always have the time to make meals and treats from scratch," said Gand. "Reddi-wip is a fun treat for the family and as close as you can get to homemade whipped cream without the time and effort." Gand adds, "Reddi-wip can make it easier for busy moms to get their kids to eat the foods they need."

Most moms feel pressed for time (70 percent say they have no more than an hour of "me time" each day, if that) and are faced with more and more picky eaters (one-in-four moms surveyed have a hard time getting their kids to eat whole grains, like oatmeal, and more than 10 percent of moms have a hard time getting their children to eat dairy foods and fresh fruits). Reddi-wip provides mom with a just-like-homemade touch that can put smiles on the faces of her pickiest eaters. It also makes moms smile with only 15 calories per serving.

Following are some ways to add real fun and flavor to any occasion - morning, noon or night - with the real goodness of Reddi-wip:

    --  Morning: Start the day with a smile by adding a dollop of
        Reddi-wip to kids' favorite breakfast foods, including
        pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, cereal or muffins;

    --  Noon: Make the lunch hour or midday snack a little more
        festive by topping pudding cups, gelatin, graham crackers
        (make some s'mores with graham crackers, chocolate sauce and
        Reddi-wip), fruit cups, yogurt or fruit smoothies with a bit
        of Reddi-wip;

    --  Night: Reddi-wip is a perfect way to top off the day with a
        dollop on cookies, ice cream, sorbet, brownies, cakes, hot
        chocolate - even pretzels!

For a touch of real cream and real fun, look for all four of Reddi-wip's real whipped light cream varieties including, Original Reddi-wip available in a 7 oz. and 14 oz. can, Extra Creamy Reddi-wip available in a 7 oz. and 14 oz. can, Fat Free Reddi-wip available in a 7 oz. can, and Chocolate Reddi-wip available in a 6.5 oz can. For more real fun tips, visit www.reddiwip.com.

About ConAgra Foods

Reddi-wip is a brand of ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG). ConAgra Foods is one of North America's leading packaged food companies, serving grocery retailers as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, and many others. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

(1) Ketchum and M/A/R/C Research polled 500 working mothers over the age of 18 who have children under the age of 18 at home. Margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. Full results are available upon request.


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It’s YOUR Choice, Make it Healthy

 Kay Blakley,  DeCA Europe Consumer Advocate

FORT LEE, VA - Feb 2008 -With March being National Nutrition Month, you’ll no doubt be hearing and reading lots of news about the recently published Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid, which is being revised to reflect those recommendations in more detail. In announcing the guidelines, government officials describe the new advice as very similar to what has been in place for the past five years – even characterizing it as “common sense.” That very well may be, but the continued expansion of our collective American waistlines is a solid indicator that a disconnect exists somewhere along the line. Too little direct communication of easily understood, easily remembered and easily applied information is thought to be at least one of the culprits.

DeCA leaders – having always encouraged managers at all levels to be involved, contributing members of the military communities we serve – view this communication void as an opportunity to provide reliable dietary information to commissary customers. After all, on military installations commissaries are the primary suppliers of food for home consumption. When is a more appropriate time to have dietary information available than when you are grocery shopping?

DeCA has partnered with TRICARE to help carry out one component of its recently unveiled, DoD-wide “Healthy Choices for Life “ campaign, aimed at ending tobacco use, promoting responsible consumption of alcohol and curbing the growing trend of obesity among military families. DeCA’s initiative – “It’s Your Choice, Make it Healthy” – focuses on making sure commissary shoppers have information to guide them in making their food selection decisions.

So what exactly does all this mean to you as a commissary shopper? Would it be helpful to have concise messages available to remind you of exactly what qualifies as a “whole grain” product when you’re selecting bread or cereal, or how you determine if a dairy product meets the guidelines for “low-fat” or “non-fat,” or harder still, which cuts of fresh meat qualify as “lean?” Shelf signs are being developed right now by a joint-services team of nutrition professionals for almost every food category in the store. Watch for these to start appearing in the coming months at the commissary where you shop!

Would you appreciate the opportunity to tour the commissary with a nutrition professional who can break down all the information on a product’s nutrition label into comprehensible terms, answer healthy choice questions specific to your personal circumstances, and clarify any points of confusion you might be dealing with? Such tours are most definitely part of our plan! Would you like to taste a new product before committing your hard-earned cash to a whole package of it? We can easily handle that! Look for healthy food fairs and product sampling opportunities to occur at your store regularly. Be sure to stay tuned as this initiative is rolled out. These are just a few examples, but there’s a lot more to come.

A synopsis of The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 is available in the pamphlet “Finding Your Way to a Healthier You.” For all the details, you can download your own copy from http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines, but its major points, neatly packaged into three broad statements are a good place to start:

·     Find your balance between food and physical activity. Calories do count – if you consume more than you expend you will gain weight. Cutting back by as little as 500 calories a day and adding just 30 minutes a day of physical activity could be all the adjustment a person might need. Could the time spent shopping the commissary for healthier food choices count toward that 30-minute requirement? It certainly could!

·     Get the most nutrition out of your calories. If your current eating habits lean heavily toward sugared drinks, salty snacks and high-calorie processed, packaged foods, introduce better choices by starting with the healthy foods food you love. For example, if you like fresh apples, but you normally go for apple pie instead, calculate how many apples it would take to reach the calorie count of a slice of pie before deciding which you’ll have. Having all the facts before you will usually lead to better decisions.

·     Make smart choices from every food group. No additional comment is necessary on this point. Just study the chart below, excerpted from the “Finding Your Way to a Healthier You” pamphlet for clear, concise and easily applied advice on making every bite count. Remember “It’s YOUR choice, make it healthy!”

Mix up your choices within each food group.

·     Know the limits on fats, salt and sugars. Read the Nutrition Facts label on foods. Look for foods low in saturated fats and trans fats. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little salt (sodium) and/or added sugars (caloric sweeteners).

·     Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits – whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried – rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. For a 2,000-calorie diet, you will need 2 cups of fruit each day (For example: 1 small banana, 1 large orange and 1/4 cup of dried apricots or peaches).

·     Vary your veggies. Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale and other dark leafy greens; orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and winter squash; and beans and peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas and lentils.

·     Make half your grains whole. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta every day. One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta. Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats or corn are referred to as “whole” in the list of ingredients.

·     Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats and poultry. Bake it, broil it or grill it. And vary your protein choices –with more fish, beans, peas, nuts and seeds.

·     Get your calcium-rich foods. Get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk – or an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt and/or low-fat cheese (11/2 ounces of cheese equals 1 cup of milk) – every day. For kids aged 2 to 8, it’s 2 cups of milk. If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free milk products and/or calcium-fortified foods and beverages.

     The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of nearly 275 commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. Shoppers save an average of more than 30 percent on their purchases compared to commercial prices – savings worth about $2,700 annually for a family of four. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

What's the Recipe for Friends?

 by Greg Williamson

     Freddy and his family have moved to a hew town.  Freddy is worried that he won't make new friends.  His mother shares with him the recipe: politeness, kindness and sharing.  Soon Freddy makes a new friend, Billy. 

Activities

Friendship Fruit Salad:  Ingredients:  variety of fresh fruit (some canned fruits may be used if desired), 2 cups of mini-marshmallows, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Peal and cut the fruit into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.  (Note:  around Halloween each year child safety knives can be purchased in pumpkin carving kits, the child is able to help with the fruit cutting with this type of knife.)  Add the marshmallows and a sprinkle of cinnamon, mix and share with family  or friends.  This activity can be done with a group of children and each can bring their favorite fruit to add to the salad.

Homemade Playdough:  Ingredients:  One cup flour, one cup water, one-half cup salt, one tablespoon oil, two teaspoons cream of tartar, and food coloring.  Mix all ingredients together except for the food coloring.  Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture pulls away from the side of the pan.  Pour the mixture onto waxed paper and knead.  Divide dough into three balls and make a hole in the center of each and add a few drops of food coloring in each.  Place in zip locked baggie and knead.  (Note:  Dough may be too hot for children to handle so it may need to cool for a while.)  Store in air tight containers.

JenniferM is on the CinCHouse.com Advisory Board, which recently released Married to the Military: A Survival Guide for Military Wives, Girlfriends and Women in Uniform (Simon & Schuster 2003). Email your questions to jenniferm@cinchouse.com.

Bagged salads provide quick, cool meal solutions
By Carrie Williams

FORT LEE, Va. - When it's sweltering and sticky outside, who wants to eat a  hot, heavy meal? One of the best meal solutions for this sort of weather is the tossed salad. And it's not just about the typical garden variety anymore either!

Bagged salad greens, widely available in the commissary, offer customers convenience and choice. "The variety of bagged salad blends provides customers with the opportunity to bring home different lettuces that they may have encountered in a restaurant but wouldn't normally serve at home," said Polly Ring, DeCA marketing business unit commissary management specialist, produce. Bagged lettuce mixes include commonplace varieties such as Bibb and Romaine to the more exotic-sounding curly endive, frisée, arrugula, radicchio and escarole. Formerly the province of serious "foodies," commissary shoppers can now discover and enjoy such artsy sounding lettuces as lolla rosa, mizuna, tatsoi, tango baby red oak, baby green oak, red swiss chard, and white salad savoy.

Speaking of art, imagine the creativity that can be brought to the preparation of a tossed salad. Since most of the work has been done for you, subtract the effort of chopping, dicing and shredding the lettuce and apply that energy to thinking up unusual ingredients. Commissaries carry a wide variety of classic salad complements such as dressings, croutons and bacon bits. If you can imagine it on your salad, the commissary probably carries it. When you're in the commissary produce aisle eyeing the bagged salads, keep in mind that prices have dropped in stateside commissaries thanks to a merchandising agreement between the Defense Commissary Agency and a major supplier of bagged salads. 

Military Food Vendor
 
Visit Kraft's Military Site and find out about new products, promotions and other food ideas.
 
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Net Grocer
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Peapod
America's Internet Grocer, includes perishables and frozen items.

RECIPES ON THE WEB
 
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Wine Spectator
 Comprehensive magazine covering wine, food and travel. logo 120 x 90

Food and Nutrition Info Center
Food and Nutrition Software and educational programs, dietary guidelines, food safety and reports.

The Food Pyramid
Check the pyramid and find out what to eat daily.  Provides a nutritional breakdown of food groups.