Birds Eye steams vegetables perfectly

03/03/06 Thanks to Clarence Birdseye, frozen foods were introduced to retail customers over 75 years ago. Today, Birds Eye Foods announces another revolution in frozen food with the nationwide launch of Steamfresh(TM), frozen vegetables that steam perfectly right in the bag. Steamfresh combines patented steaming technology and fresh frozen vegetables to deliver unmatched taste, quality and convenience to consumers. Vegetables go from freezer to microwave to table in just five minutes.

Birds Eye developed the Steamfresh product to provide perfect vegetables every time in just minutes. Consumers no longer have to chop vegetables, boil water and carefully time the cooking to achieve great tasting vegetables. Steamfresh allows today's busy cooks more time at the dinner table and less time in the kitchen. And it provides an easy way to meet the new daily requirements for vegetables -- recommended at 2-1/2 servings per day. Essential vitamins and minerals are locked in for the full nutritional benefit that steamed vegetables deliver.

The introduction of the Steamfresh product heralds in steam-in-the-bag cooking, new to U.S. consumers. Birds Eye packages its flash-frozen vegetables in a special custom-designed bag. While microwaving, this special bag becomes a steaming vessel as it puffs up under the pressure of the steam created within the bag. A patented vent releases the built up steam within the puffed bag, allowing the steam to circulate evenly throughout the cooking process. Consequently, vegetables are steamed to a crisp, colorful and tasty perfection.

Harvested and flash-frozen at their peak freshness, Birds Eye uses only the highest quality vegetables for all its products. Steamfresh is no exception. Each 12-ounce package serves about four people and is available in nine great varieties:

- Broccoli Cuts
- Super Sweet Corn
- Cut Green Beans
- Mixed Vegetables
- Sweet Peas
- Broccoli & Cauliflower
- Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Carrots
- Broccoli, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, & Water Chestnuts
- Sweet Mini Corn on the Cob (4 ears)

The Birds Eye Steamfresh product is available nationwide. The suggested retail price ranges between $1.69 for plain vegetables and $2.29 for mixtures.

Rochester, N.Y. based Birds Eye Foods, has sales of approximately $900 million annually and processes fruits and vegetables in 13 facilities across the country. Familiar brands in the frozen aisle include Birds Eye, Birds Eye Voila!, C&W, Freshlike and McKenzie's. Other foods marketed by Birds Eye Foods include fillings and toppings (Comstock and Wilderness); chili and chili ingredients (Nalley and Brooks); salad dressings (Bernstein's and Nalley); snacks (Tim's and Snyder of Berlin) and Birds Eye Fresh, a premium line of fresh vegetables. Birds Eye Foods also produces many products for the store brands, food service and industrial markets.

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