With Innovative New Products and 'Gold Store' Retail Strategy, ConAgra Foods Fills Shopping Carts with Great-Tasting, Quality Solutions Giving Consumers More Time in Their Busy Lives

At this year's Food Marketing Institute (FMI), ConAgra Foods is unveiling a wide variety of innovative new products and a research-rich 'Gold Store' strategy to give consumers what they are looking for to enhance the flavor, quality and healthfulness of what they and their families eat; and also to give consumers that most precious and indulgent ingredient in today's world - more time - to enjoy eating a sit-down dinner with their families and their loved ones. ConAgra Foods also gives more time free from the hassles and confusion that increasingly plague today's grocery store shopper.

With its new products and 'Gold Store' strategy, ConAgra Foods has set its sights on product innovations and retail value-adds to help ensure that shoppers can readily identify the foods they want, and incorporate them easily into their lifestyles. This approach, set forth by the company's new management team, is designed to focus the company on proven products, top brands and strategies to drive sales volume and profitable growth.

"Consumers today face an increasingly difficult task walking through grocery store aisles and deciding what are the best food choices for their families from the stunning array of brands and products available to them," said Dean Hollis, president and chief operating officer, ConAgra Foods Consumer Foods.

"Our goal is to offer the innovative, great-tasting meal solutions that consumers want to manage their busy lives, and also make it easier for people to shop for those products, so they have more time to spend on what matters most to them. This is what we aim to achieve with our intense focus on integrating our product-development strategies, marketing and sales, as we drive to give consumers more reasons than ever to seek our brands regularly."

Innovative Products Lead the Way

A new "What's In Store" consumer survey commissioned by ConAgra Foods reinforces recent research that consumers, more than ever, are shopping for healthful food, great taste and convenience as they zip in and out of the store, eager to prepare nutritious meals, reduce their stress and spend more time with their families. In fact, the top three responses given when asked what factors had a lot of influence on their food shopping decisions over the past year were (1) being able to prepare healthier meals (66 percent), (2) finding meals that taste better (64 percent), and (3) being able to spend more time with family (50 percent).

These themes reinforce the market relevance of new products launched by ConAgra Foods and its brands at FMI this year.

-- Egg Beaters(R) Ham & Cheese gives Americans a classic, nutritious omelet in a carton. In addition to its convenience, Egg Beaters has 60 percent fewer calories than shell eggs but with all of the protein and great taste.

-- Healthy Choice(R) flour with Ultragrain(R), a blended, all-purpose retail flour made with the revolutionary Ultragrain whole-wheat flour with a taste and texture similar to traditional white flour products. Used by commercial food manufacturers over the past year to make best-selling bakery products and other foods, this marks the first time Ultragrain is available to home cooks and bakers. Nearly half of Americans say they are adding whole grains to their menus, with almost half of those saying they use foods with a portion or whole grain blend. Ultragrain's retail presence will help consumers better meet the Dietary Guidelines' whole grain recommendations.

-- Marie Callender's(R) Crock-Pot Meals & Soups make the warmth and comfort of grandma's slow cooking easy for everyday meals. Nearly half of all Americans (43 percent) list crock pots as a kitchen tool they rely on for simplifying meal preparation, as hearty, savory crock-pot meals remove the need for cooking time and give consumers time to enjoy themselves and their families.

-- Orville Redenbacher's(R) Shakeables & ACT II(R) Buttery Cinnamon give families the savory and sweet flavors they crave as they enjoy time together. These new products are also made with 100 percent whole grains and have 0 grams trans fat, as is the standard for Orville Redenbacher's and ACT II products.

-- PAM(R) Organic continues the company's commitment to providing organic options. The certified organic cooking spray is available in two five-ounce varieties, PAM Organic Canola Oil & PAM Organic Olive Oil. PAM Organic gives organic consumers the convenience of a spray and helps ensure cooking success.

The Grand Opening of ConAgra Foods' Gold Store

Americans have less time to think and plan today. Consumers not only want products to meet their needs, they need these solutions to appear to them as they walk the grocery aisles. The majority in the "What's In Store" survey said they felt their overall grocery shopping experience could be improved. As examples, they cited placing products that go together in the same locations within the store, such as whipped-cream near pudding in the refrigerated section. They also wanted their most desired products and brands placed at eye level on shelves so they are easier to locate. Consumers said placing their favorite products in parts of the store they most frequent would take some of the hassle out of food shopping. Finally, respondents wanted their desired products clearly identified or flagged with displays and promotions.

"ConAgra Foods has an unmatched portfolio of category-leading brands - like Chef Boyardee, Hunt's, PAM, Healthy Choice, Kid Cuisine, Banquet, Hebrew National, Egg Beaters, Reddi-Wip and Orville Redenbacher's," said Douglas A. Knudsen, president, ConAgra Foods Sales. "In rolling out the 'Gold Store' program, we are working with retailers to leverage the power of our brands and inspire shoppers to pick-up our products as their first choice for every meal occasion and nutrition need."

New Bench Strength Invigorating ConAgra Brands

ConAgra Foods also benefits from its powerful new leadership team, led by Gary Rodkin, who joined the company last year from PepsiCo Beverages and Foods North America, where he was president and CEO. His leadership team includes accomplished professionals with strong track records of driving profitable growth.

FMI "What's In Store" Survey

Understanding consumers' attitudes and behaviors when it comes to mealtime and food shopping gives ConAgra Foods the ability to continue to refine its products and approach to meet consumers' greatest needs. Additional insights revealed in the "What's In Store" survey include:

-- Want more family time - Spending time with family (77 percent) and engaging in good conversation with family around the dinner table (76 percent) are strongly held desires, according to survey respondents.

-- Stress solutions - More than half of survey respondents (54 percent) cite the importance of reducing stress around meal preparation. Two-thirds of Americans (66 percent) are concerned about preparing meals that are healthier for them and their families. And nearly half (44 percent) want meals that are easier to prepare.

-- Kitchen time savers - In pointing to solutions for saving time, a majority (62 percent) say their microwave oven is the most useful tool for making convenient, easy to prepare, home-cooked meals. Also cited for easy cooking were indoor or outdoor grills (54 percent), crock pots (43 percent), pre-made meals or side dishes (31 percent) and one-bowl meal recipes or products (29 percent).

-- Home Cooking - When anticipating cooking this year, more than two-thirds of Americans said they planned to prepare some variation of a home-cooked meal more often.