Apersistent Cold Front Has Blown Into the Frozen Foods Section Of

BY MARY ELLEN KUHN

persistent cold front has blown into the business still has its fair share of challenges. “We’re frozen foods section of the grocery store. not seeing any turnaround in the category yet,” says Sales volume has been flat or down over Colin Stewart, Senior Vice President, AMG A the course of the past several years thanks Strategic Advisors Group, a division of to consumers’ preference for fresh offerings, lack Jacksonville, Fla.-based Acosta, a consumer pack- of product innovation, the economic downturn, aged goods broker. and a less-than-ideal retail environment, among For one thing, shoppers ages 44 and younger other factors. For frozen foods market leaders are gravitating away from the frozen food aisle, like Nestlé, ConAgra, and H.J. Heinz, lacklus- with a significant downturn between 2007 and ter category performance has been a concern. 2011, according Nielsen data cited by AMG (AMG, Now, however, key industry players including a 2012). leading trade association, frozen food manufactur- Certainly economic factors have played a role in ers, and progressive retailers are poised to the hard times that have befallen frozen foods. reinvigorate the category. Their tool kit includes Speaking to financial analysts in a conference call everything from a major consumer campaign spearheaded by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Table 1. Why Shoppers Are Buying Less Frozen Food (% of consumers polled).* Foods Assn. (NFRA), some creative new product From AMG Strategic Advisors concepts, and efforts by forward-thinking retailers who are working with manufacturers to change the Reasons Cited Multi-Serve Entrees Single-Serve Entrees way frozen foods are merchandised. Here’s a look Higher Price/Cost 28 27 at what’s in store for the frozen foods category. Economy 22 20 Not Healthy/ The Cold, Hard Facts and Figures 5 9 Frozen foods are a $51.5 billion category across Eating Healthier retail channels including supermarkets, drugstores, Dietary 1 2 mass merchandisers, military commissaries, and Eating Less 2 4 select club and dollar store chains, according to Change in Family Size – 4 SymphonyIRI data for the year ending (Y/E) 11/4/12. Sales for that period were up 1.9%, Cooking More at Home 16 8 largely due to price increases and inflation, but unit Making It at Home – 2 sales declined by 2.3% (SymphonyIRI, 2012; Smaller Family 6 – AMG, 2012). In 2011, unit sales of frozen foods Bored, Tired of It 3 3 were at 2008 levels (AMG, 2012), and unit sales for Don’t Like Taste – 3 the March 2012 “Frozen Foods Month” were the lowest they have been in six years, down 6% vs the Don’t Need Them – 5 prior year (AMG, 2012). * Based on a poll of consumers within AMG’s community of shoppers. The good news is that the sales volume down- Totals do not equal 100% because other reasons cited in which turn appears to be slowing, but the frozen foods responses totaled less than 1% are not included in table. pg 24 02.13 • www.ift.org With consumers and retailers focused on fresh products, frozen food sales have cooled off. But now product developers, marketers, and merchandising pros are teaming up in a bid to end the big chill in the freezer case.

Innovative new frozen food offerings are expected to help bolster category sales in 2013. Photos Courtesy of Atkins Nutritionals, Hillshire Brands, and Kashi Co.; Photo © iStockphoto.com/Kuligssen

02.13 • www.ift.org 25 pg Come see us in Charlotte at the RCA Culinologybooth 412P Expo, last spring, H.J. Heinz Chief Kashi Steam Meals for 2 made their Executive Officer Bill Johnson debut this winter, extending the line of one-serving Steam Meals that the described frozen meals as “the most company introduced last year. Photo cyclical of the major food categories courtesy of Kashi Co. that we compete in—strong in good times and weak in recession- ary times” (Heinz, 2012). describes as a “significant” Preference for fresh foods was investment to polish up the No. 1 reason consumers sur- that image by helping con- veyed by research firm Packaged sumers to better Facts, Rockville, Md., cited for not understand their nutri- purchasing frozen foods within the tional and taste benefits. prior three-month period “We need to change the (Packaged Facts, 2012.) AMG con- conversation about frozen sumer research shows that concerns foods and to start to talk about fro- Offering a strong assortment of about product cost and the econ- zen food as food,” says Shaw. “It is better-for-you products is critical to omy were the top reasons that real food [that is] frozen.” success in the frozen food category, consumers were buying fewer March is traditionally NFRA’s particularly in terms of appealing multi-serve and single-serve frozen “Frozen Foods Month,” and to her- to younger consumers, says John entrees (Table 1). ald it this year, the association’s Frank, Category Manager, CPG Stewart explains that companies agency, Edelman, is launching a Food and Drink, with the research that had been holding the line on public relations initiative. Shaw says firm Mintel, Chicago, Ill. Frank Come to Your Senses. Add Texture Earlier! prices during the height of the that the campaign will rely heav- points out that consumer research recession took price increases in ily on social media and will employ commissioned by Mintel in 2012 2011, which led to sales volume “storytellers” like chefs, dietitians, showed that 57% of frozen meal Save time and increase your profi ts by With the help of the Gum Gurus® you will have: declines. On average, in 2012, fro- and bloggers to communicate posi- users say they would buy more of thinking about the role texture plays during • Tools and methodologies to help you zen food prices were up 7% over tive messages about the nutritional these products if they were more food and beverage product development. with your product texture design the prior year (AMG, 2012). value, freshness, and ethnic flavor nutritious. And this attitude is Texture will enhance the perception of that frozen foods deliver. NFRA more prevalent among those ages fl avor and increase likeability! • Knowledgeable and responsive Taking a Fresh Approach to Frozen and Edelman will target three 18–44. (See Table 2 for more technical support It’s clear that frozen foods have an consumer segments in particu- insights into consumer perceptions, image problem, and this year lar—baby boomers, millennials according to age.) Enjoy the benefi ts of planned texture: • A broad portfolio of texture and NFRA will make what the organi- (broadly defined as those born in Pinnacle Foods, Parsippany, • Create products with exciting new texture stabilizing products zation’s President and Chief the 1980s and 1990s), and Hispanic N.J., marketer of Birds Eye fro- Executive Officer Skip Shaw and other multicultural consumers. zen vegetables, found a way to dimensions to better your chances of • Alternative solutions for healthier market success foods and beverages.

Table 2. Attitudes Toward Frozen Meals by Age (% of consumers polled).* From Mintel • Adjust the texture of your existing products to increase consumer acceptance We are ready to help you achieve your Strongly or Somewhat Agree All 18–24 25–34 35–44 45–54 55–64 65+ desired texture and assist with any I am willing to spend more on better quality 67 56 70 70 68 69 63 • Differentiate your products from stabilization challenges. These types of products taste good 63 63 67 67 62 60 55 competitors I’d eat more of these products if Visit www.ticgums.com/ft13 or call 59 61 66 64 57 51 51 ® they were less processed Join the Texture Revolution and make your the Gum Gurus at (800) 899-3953. I’d eat more of these types of products products stand out! 57 62 67 64 57 45 45 if they were more nutritious I buy whatever products are on sale 53 66 59 56 54 42 44 or are the best value/price I like to try brands or products 53 57 63 59 51 45 39 Follow us at: that I’ve never tried before I look forward to eating them 50 60 58 53 48 43 37 facebook.com/ticgums Private label/store brands are just 47 52 53 47 43 43 43 as good as name brands twitter.com/gumguru I eat the same brands or products every time 45 49 52 44 43 44 39

linkedin.com/in/gumguru TM * Based on a survey of Internet users ages 18+ who eat frozen meals. pg 26 02.13 • www.ift.org

FoodTech_8.125x10.875_MAR2013_Snipe.indd 1 1/22/13 4:01 PM effectively target young kids and their par- ents by partnering with Nickelodeon television network’s “iCarly” series last summer. The “iCarly iCook with Birds Eye” campaign, which ran from July 9 to Sept. 9, invited kids to submit recipes that featured Birds Eye vegetables and to partici- pate in a sweepstakes. “Based on syndicated data, during the promo- tional period, Birds Eye contributed to more than Borrowing from the look and feel of the produce department adds appeal to the frozen one-third of the category food aisle in a Wegmans grocery store. Photo courtesy of AMG Strategic Advisors growth,” says Brandi Unchester, Senior Brand Manager for Birds Eye Steamfresh Vegetables. their shopping carts with fresh produce The effort also provided Birds Eye prod- from the perimeter. “It’s a fundamentally uct developers with new insights into the critical part of the grocery store, and Sanjay kinds of products that appeal to kids. The and Dr. Oz are saying ‘stay out of that sec- majority of the recipes kids submitted fea- tion of the store,’” observes Andrew Elliot, tured a variety of “vegetable blends,” and Vice President, Consumer Packaged Goods more than half of them were easily portable with Dublin, Ohio-based WD Partners, a and allowed kids to eat with their hands. firm with expertise in retailing strategy and These findings will be used to help shape customer experiences that has worked with the development of new Birds Eye offerings ConAgra on a frozen food strategy report. targeted to children, Unchester reports. It’s not just consumers and health Watch for the new products in the back-to- professionals who are fixated on the perim- school time frame this year. eter. Elliot’s colleague Randy Friedlander, The marketing program was part of a Vice President of Client Services for WD larger Birds Eye initiative, its three-year Partners, notes that retailers themselves are commitment to the nonprofit Partnership focused—perhaps overly so—on the for a Healthier America campaign chaired perimeter because it’s the first thing that by First Lady Michelle Obama. As part of shoppers see when they enter the store. that effort, the brand has pledged that some “Grocery stores are hoping to differentiate of its advertising will be focused on lower- themselves from other channels, other income households and that it will retailers,” by investing in the perimeter, distribute 50 million coupons (PHA/Birds he says. Eye, 2012). But retailers have a powerful incentive One of the biggest challenges facing the to turn more of their attention toward the category is the fact that the frozen food center of the store because it’s highly profit- aisles are located in the center of the able retail real estate; Elliot says that it store—and not in the higher-profile, more typically generates more than 70% of a well-traveled perimeter. Today’s shoppers retailer’s profits. Meanwhile, the perimeter are making fewer stock-up trips and more is an expensive area to operate because of quick visits in which they are less likely to costs associated with labor and perishables visit the center of the store (WD Partners/ spoilage, says consultant Stewart. ConAgra Foods, 2012). Once shoppers do arrive in the frozen Certainly the center store gets a bad rap food aisles, the problems persist. Of 20 from celebrity health professionals like Dr. consumer packaged goods categories con- Sanjay Gupta and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who sumers polled by AMG were asked to urge consumers to steer clear of it and fill evaluate, only personal care products and

02.13 • www.ift.org 29 pg << A print ad for << New Atkins low-carbohydrate new Nestlé Lean frozen meals meet the needs of Cuisine Salad dieters on all four phases of the Additions takes a Atkins Diet. Photo courtesy of Atkins humorous Nutritionals approach with a “BYOL” logo that >> Recognizing that shoppers invites consumers spend little time in the frozen to “bring your own food aisle, Jimmy Dean marketers lettuce.” introduced new graphics, product images, and a contemporized brand logo to help draw the consumer’s eye to its frozen breakfast offerings, including the better-for-you Delights products. Photo courtesy of Hillshire Brands

candy were rated as more difficult Fortunately, some retailers are single-serving entrees/dinners, to shop (AMG, 2012). starting to get it right. Stewart cites meals for larger households, and Even some of the retailers who East Coast grocery chain Wegmans finally frozen party fare for groups have gotten creative in the frozen as an example. Wegmans has intro- of 10 or more. food aisle are falling short, duced changes to signage and Retailers would also be well Friedlander says, because they fixtures that call to mind the fresh advised to do more sampling of fro- haven’t applied a consistent com- produce department. For example, zen foods, suggests Susan Porjes, munications strategy, which means there’s a colorful green and white Senior Market Analyst for Packaged that signage can be confusing. “It’s striped awning atop the freezer Facts and author of the research just visual clutter,” which shoppers case and large, clear signage that firm’s 2012 report on frozen foods. tend to tune out, he says. calls out products using simple, “I think that’s what consumers need “There is no inspiration, there is appealing descriptors like “fresh to find out: that the quality of fro- no exploration,” Friedlander con- frozen fruit” and “frozen vegetable zen foods has gone up—that it’s not tinues. “Shoppers go into the frozen blends.” just a meal in a little tray,” says food aisle on a rote mission, looking AMG teamed with Meijer, a Porjes. for the packages that they usually Grand Rapids, Mich.-based chain of buy, and they ignore everything supercenters and supermarkets, Recipes for Frozen Food Success else.” plus frozen food makers Heinz, Of course, reinvigorating the fro- Currently, most stores are laid Pinnacle Foods, and ConAgra, to zen foods category isn’t just about out for the convenience of the develop a strategy to help heat up retailing. Reports from Mintel retailer, rather than the shopper, frozen food sales. The retailer (Mintel, 2012a) and AMG Strategic and that needs to change. experimented with product cate- Advisors (AMG, 2012) cite a lack of Friedlander would like retailers to gory adjacencies and introduced innovation in frozen food product “create destinations in the aisle that signage that focused on meal occa- development as a factor in sluggish combine products or the compo- sions in an appetizing way. category performance. nents of a meal to satisfy the need Retailers can’t change up the There are exceptions, of course. state of the shopper.” A small frozen foods aisle overnight, of The frozen breakfast category has freezer case filled with frozen garlic course; it’s simply too expensive. been a bright spot in the frozen bread might be positioned in an Changes will be incremental, says foods landscape, with sales growth aisle with jarred pasta sauce and dry WD Partners’ Friedlander. He of nearly 20% between 2007 and pasta or near the refrigerated pasta notes that one of the things that 2011 (Mintel, 2012b). Sales of fro- section, for example. Or frozen WD Partners and ConAgra is test- zen breakfast food climbed 4.9% to desserts and side dishes could be ing with a major retailer is nearly $2.8 billion for Y/E 11/4/12 merchandised together with fresh reorganizing the presentation of (SymphonyIRI, 2012). protein to make it easier for the meals in the freezer case according Household penetration of frozen shopper to plan a full meal and to to number of people served, i.e., breakfast entrees/sandwiches stimulate impulse sales. breaking them out to include gained 3 percentage points between pg 30 02.13 • www.ift.org 2008 and 2012, and is now at 27% (Packaged Facts, 2012). Mintel predicts 22.1% growth for frozen breakfast entrees between 2012 and 2017, provided companies continue to innovate with healthful offerings and products that boast taste appeal equal to that of foodservice breakfast fare (Mintel, 2012b). Hillshire Brands, Chicago, Ill., market leader in frozen breakfast entrees and hand- held frozen breakfast offerings, has taken a number of steps to build on its position of strength. This fall, the company’s Jimmy Dean brand unveiled a full packaging refresh, including new graphics, product images, and logo. The packaging revamp also included the addition of a new seal to emphasize product quality. Shoppers spend little time in the frozen food aisle, and quickly grabbing their attention and driving purchase are critical, says Amy Grabow, Vice President of Marketing, Jimmy Dean. This month, Jimmy Dean is expanding its presence in the healthful segment of the frozen breakfast market with the rollout of Jimmy Dean Delights Flatbread Sandwiches. Grabow notes that the new sandwich variety not only extends the popular lineup of Delights frozen breakfast products under 300 calories, but also introduces the first meatless option to the line. (It features egg whites with spinach and cheese on honey wheat flatbread.) The potential for frozen breakfast market development has apparently not escaped ConAgra either. In May 2012, the company acquired Odom’s Tennessee Pride,

02.13 • www.ift.org 31 pg Madison, Tenn., the second-largest culinary halo. ConAgra teamed Steam Meals in stand-up bag packag- producer of frozen breakfast sand- with Bravo television in 2011 for a ing for microwave preparation wiches in the United States. line of Café Steamers entrees inspired (Kashi, 2012). Earlier this year, Multi-serve frozen meals are by the popular “Top Chef” show. Kashi expanded the line to include another segment with growth Nestlé tapped into the expertise of two-serving Steam Meals. In keeping potential. Sales of multi-serve fro- chefs from high profile, award-win- with the Kashi heritage as “the zen meals declined in 2011 and ning restaurants, inviting them to seven whole grain company,” each 2012, but the category was per- the Nestlé Culinary Center in variety provides at least 35 g of forming nicely prior to that with Solon, Ohio, to work with its prod- whole grain per serving. four consecutive years of growth, uct development team on creating For 2013, frozen category and Mintel is forecasting “notable” new entrees. leader Nestlé appears poised to cap- annual growth for the 2013–2016 Another example of frozen food italize on the traditional post-New time period (Mintel, 2012a; innovation comes from Schwan’s Year’s diet season with the rollout SymphonyIRI, 2012). Consumer Products, Bloomington, of a brand new concept for the fro- Pinnacle Foods extended its Minn. The company is test market- zen aisle—four varieties of Lean Birds Eye Voila! skillet meals line ing a line of upscale Bon Appétit Cuisine Salad Additions, which with the rollout of 42-oz family-size Steam-Baked Meals designed for oven include everything needed for a frozen bagged meals in 2011 and preparation, according to company value-added salad experience updated the family-size options spokesman Chuck Blomberg. The except the lettuce. The Asian-Style with new varieties in January 2012, meals, which carry a suggested Chicken Salad kit, for example, reports Senior Brand Manager retail price of $8.99, serve two and includes grilled white meat Kristen Thompson. Thompson says were inspired by a classic French chicken, edamame, pineapple, she is optimistic about the potential cooking technique in which food is broccoli, yellow and orange car- for the multi-serve category thanks wrapped in a parchment paper rots, sesame ginger vinaigrette, and to consumer trends pointing pouch and steam baked, thus seal- crispy noodles. toward families eating at home ing in flavor (Schwan’s, 2012). Atkins Nutritionals, Denver, together more frequently. Kellogg-owned Kashi Co., La Colo., unveiled a nine-item menu Both Nestlé and ConAgra have Jolla, Calif., last year introduced a of frozen low-carb meals (including worked to give their frozen meals a line of single-serve frozen Kashi two breakfast items) in January.

Hot Concepts From Freezer Cases Around the Globe

hese recent rollouts from markets • Meeting Seniors’ Needs. Mature consum- outside the United States show- ers are the target audience for this line of Tcase some of the ways in which three On the Menu small-portion ready makers of frozen foods are addressing meals and one fruit-dense dessert consumers’ needs. Information on launched last year in the United Kingdom. these new offerings comes from the This new concept for the UK food market was Innova Market Insights Food & developed by professional chefs and approved by dietitians. Beverage Database (www.innovada- • Hearty and Nutritious. Made for You beef and vegetable cottage tabase.com). pie topped with sweet potatoes sounds like comfort food, but it • Sustainably Sourced Seafood. Canada’s Loblaws touts the earned the D-tick logo, which signifies that it delivers good nutri- sustainable sourcing of the wild clams used in this frozen seafood tion for those seeking to manage blood sugar. It is made by an entrée sold under the President’s Choice label. The clams are Australian company. freshly steamed, quick frozen, and accented with • Easy Cheese Sauce. Four servings of microwaveable cheese Thai-inspired red chili sauce. cooking sauce are packaged in film-wrapped trays in this product from Tesco, introduced last fall in Western Europe. The cheese sauce heats in eight minutes straight from the freezer. • Better-for-You Fare From Down Under. From Coles, an Australian company, this microwaveable Simply Less ready meal highlights the fact that it contains no artificial colors or flavors.

pg 32 02.13 • www.ift.org The good news is that the sales volume downturn appears to be slowing, but the frozen food business still has its fair share of challenges.

The rollout moves Atkins beyond the shelf-stable bar and shake category into the frozen aisle. “We did look at other categories,” says Christine Lukkes, Director of Marketing for the company, “but frozen was the best way to deliver high-quality meals.” In keeping with the Atkins Diet regime, the meals contain 7 g or less of net carbs and are made without added sugars or preservatives.

Technology and Formulation Innovation Advances in packaging technology and product formulation may have helped frozen foods do a better job of addressing consumer expectations for products that deliver on freshness and health. ConAgra brought microwave steaming technology to the frozen meal category in 2007 with the rollout of its Healthy Choice Café Steamers, and last year it again put technology to effective use with the launch of Healthy Choice Baked Entrees in MicroRite™ trays from Graphic Packaging, Marietta, Ga. (ConAgra Foods, 2007; ConAgra Foods, 2012). The trays use what the packaging company describes as “strategically placed susceptors” to focus microwave energy, thus heating products more evenly in the microwave and delivering oven-baked taste. Products with shorter ingredient lists and more natural ingredients appear to be another priority for frozen food product developers. For ingredient supplier Ingredion Inc., Westchester, Ill., for example, frozen foods are among the product categories the company is targeting with its new Novation Endura series of process tolerant clean label starches. “Last year we saw declining volume there [in the frozen food aisle] so we do see interest for products that are matching up to what consumers are looking for,” says Leaslie Carr, Marketing Manager, Wholesome, for Ingredion. What consumers seek, she continues, are products that are simpler in their positioning, with shorter ingredient statements. Endura may appear in ingredient listings simply as starch or corn starch. The NOVATION Prima line of clean label starches are specifically designed to function in frozen foods because of their ability to pro- vide superior freeze/thaw stability as well as process tolerance. Endura starch also works well in frozen foods because it can with- stand the heat and shear used in processing, and thanks to its ability to effectively bind moisture during the freezing process, it helps to extend shelf life and maintain product texture by minimizing ice crystal formation. Birds Eye will be eliminating artificial flavors and colors in many of its products, says Thompson. And Nestlé’s Lean Cuisine website states that it has more than 90 dishes made with no preservatives. Alexia Foods, an Eagle, Idaho-based purveyor of premium, natural side dishes that is owned by ConAgra, is touting the fact that its House-Cut Julienne Fries introduced this fall are made with just five natural ingredients—potatoes with the skin on, canola oil, sea salt, apple juice concentrate, and citric acid (Alexia Foods, 2012). More healthful formulations are also in the works from many companies. Packaged Facts analyst Porjes says she sees frozen food

02.13 • www.ift.org 33 pg makers adding more vegetables Time for a Turnaround? and whole grains to their formula- Can frozen food manufacturers tions, sometimes without calling and retailers halt the big chill in attention to it on the label. the frozen food category? AMG’s With health and public policy Stewart is cautiously optimistic, groups strongly focused on reduc- noting that the sluggish sales of ing sodium in the American diet, recent years have functioned as a more and more manufacturers are wake-up call for both retailers and lowering sodium content. manufacturers. Based on what According to Packaged Facts, he’s seen from food companies, he Ruiz Foods, Dinuba, Calif., expects 2013 to be a big year for reduced the sodium levels of its El product innovation. Monterey meals and snacks to meet “Most of the manufacturers the 2012 guidelines of the we’ve talked to are pretty excited National Sodium Reduction about their innovation pipelines,” Initiative. The Nestlé USA web- says Stewart. He notes that some site states that Nestlé “has been of the new offerings are designed steadily reducing sodium levels to deliver health and wellness across brands” and will cut benefits and some appear to be sodium by another 10% for positioned to reach younger shop- The “iCarly iCook with Birds Eye” marketing campaign prompted kids to submit more than 16,000 veggie-based recipes, including one for brands including Stouffer’s, Lean pers. He also sees opportunities Yakimaniac Veggie Martians, which was featured on an episode of the Cuisine, Hot Pockets, and Lean for frozen products positioned as Nickelodeon “iCarly” television show. Photo courtesy of Birds Eye Pockets by 2015. meal components.

pg 34 02.13 • www.ift.org On the retail front, industry experts emphasize that it’s all about taking a fresh look at the center of the store, thinking beyond operational efficiencies, and working harder to create a shopping destination that addresses consumers’ meal planning needs. “Once retailers and frozen food producers can shed the baggage of the past and create frozen food experiences that are tailored to their customers and their customers’ trip mission, I think they will see a lot of opportunities,” says Friedlander of WD Partners. There are also options for category-building beyond the super- market. Mintel’s Frank suggests that frozen food makers move outside traditional channels of distribution and experiment with options like vending machines. He notes that Mintel survey data show that 27% of consumers say they would buy entrees from vending machines if they could. College campuses, workplaces, and hotels are all potentially optimal vending venues. What is clear is that the companies that succeed in this category will be those that can continue to reinvent frozen foods and help retailers merchandise them in ways that deliver solutions for shoppers seeking freshness, flavor, health and wellness, and, as always, convenience. FT

Mary Ellen Kuhn is Executive Editor of Food Technology magazine ([email protected]).

REFERENCES

Alexia Foods. 2012. Alexia Foods adds two new gourmet-inspired side dishes to help at-home cooks accessorize every meal. Press release, Sept. 25. Alexia Foods, Eagle River, Idaho. www.AlexiaFoods.com. AMG. 2012. Cold facts about frozen foods, hot topic report, Oct. AMG Strategic Advisors Group, Jacksonville, Fla. www.acosta.com. ConAgra Foods. 2007. Healthy Choice cooks up innovation with its newest frozen entrees. Press release, Sept. 12. ConaAgra Foods, Omaha, Neb. www.conagra- foods.com. ConAgra Foods. 2012. Finally, fresh-baked taste from the microwave with new Healthy Choice baked entrees. Press release, Oct. 2. Heinz. 2012. Q4 H.J. Heinz Co. earnings conference call, edited transcript, May 24. H.J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. www.heinz.com. Kashi. 2012. Kashi introduces four all natural steam meals. Press release, Feb. 28. Kashi Co., La Jolla, Calif. www.kashi.com. Mintel. 2012a. Frozen meals—U.S., May. Mintel International Group Ltd. Chicago, Ill. www.mintel.com. Mintel 2012b. Breakfast foods—U.S., Sept. Packaged Facts. 2012. Frozen foods in the U.S., Oct. Packaged Facts, Rockville, Md. www.packagedfacts.com. PHA/Birds Eye. 2012. Birds Eye joins PHA fight. The Partnership for a Healthier America and Birds Eye. Press release, May 7. Partnership for a Healthier America, Washington, D.C. www.ahealthieramerica.org. Schwan’s. 2011. Schwan’s Consumer Brands unwraps chef-inspired Bon Appétit steam-baked meals. Press release, Oct. 5. Schwan’s Consumer Brands, Bloomington, Minn. www.theschwanfoodcompany.com. SymphonyIRI. 2012. Infoscan Reviews. Total U.S. multi-outlet (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries, and select club and dollar retail chains). Latest 52 weeks ending Nov. 4, 2012. The SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago, Ill. www.symphonyiri.com. WD Partners/ConAgra Foods. 2012. Cold case, solved: Shopper solutions that create growth in frozen foods. Special Insight Series 001. WD Partners, Dublin, Ohio. www.wdpartners.com.

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