OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This
Valentine's Day, staying in may be
the new going out. According to ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG)'s
Dining In Survey, 52 percent of Millennials think cooking at home
is more romantic than going out to eat, and over the past three
years, a quarter of Millennials have been increasingly cooking at
home for the holiday. What to prepare remains a question; 84
percent say they lack recipe ideas for a romantic evening at
home.
Taking a cue, ConAgra Foods brands including Hunt's®
tomatoes, Alexia® Foods and Reddi-wip® are
offering a tempting collection of Valentine's Day meal ideas through partnerships
with Internet cooking show host Laura
Vitale ("Laura in the Kitchen") and grocery delivery service
Instacart. Laura will provide recipe inspiration and instruction
via two Valentine's Day recipes and
how-to cooking videos posted to her YouTube channel. With one
click, consumers can then add ingredients for the recipe to a
virtual basket, and Instacart will deliver everything to their door
in little as one hour.
"According to our survey, Millennials enjoy the experience of
spending Valentine's Day in, but they
need some help pulling the meal together," said Brett Groom, ConAgra Foods senior vice
president. "Our online partners, 'Laura in the Kitchen' and
Instacart, offer an ideal solution for a perfect romantic dinner at
home."
According to the survey, 56 percent of Millennials will find
their Valentine's Day recipe by
either searching on the web or watching an online cooking show.
Additionally:
- Millennials
will look for a recipe that fits a $50-$100 budget.
- They want
to prepare an Italian dish, saying it's the most romantic
cuisine.
- Finding a
"unique" recipe is the most important criteria for choosing the
perfect meal.
Vitale's two Valentine's Day
dishes – Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry
Peppers, created on behalf of Hunt's® tomatoes,
and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Potatoes created on
behalf of Alexia® Foods – were designed with these
budget, cuisine and recipe preferences in mind.
"There's no better romantic gift than creating an intimate,
home-cooked meal, and this year, I've created two Italian
favorites," said Vitale. "Hunt's® tomatoes add rich
flavor to my tasty Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers Dish, and
I'm using Alexia® Foods Tri-Cut Potatoes as a delicious
accompaniment to my Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs."
Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers, one of Vitale's
childhood favorites, is a delicious yet simple dish that requires
only a handful of ingredients. The salty pancetta and briny, mild
peppers create a unique flavor combination that's intensified by
the rich, Hunt's® tomato flavor.
A true no-fuss meal, Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted
Potatoes takes only a half hour to prepare and allows cooks to make
all ingredients together in the oven. This savory dish blends white
wine, lemon and garlic, plus it adds a touch of rosemary to the
all-natural Alexia® Roasted Tri-Cut Potatoes with Sea
Salt, creating a delectable meal with a beautiful presentation.
With just one click, ingredients for Pasta with Pancetta and
Cherry Peppers and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted
Potatoes will be available for at-home cooks through Instacart
through February 21. Local Instacart
Personal Shoppers will hand pick and deliver all recipe
ingredients. Instacart's short delivery window ensures that even
last-minute planners can still have an enjoyable Valentine's Day.
"Instacart has many Millennial customers, and we know from
experience that many prefer to cook from home, even on special
occasions – not only to save money but also because it can be
healthier choice," said Nilam Ganenthiran, Head of Business
Development & Strategy at Instacart – recently named the Most
Promising Company in America by Forbes. "We're excited to be part
of this innovative ConAgra Foods promotion."
Couples are encouraged to post a picture of their Valentine's Day meal at home using #VDayIn,
whether they opt to make Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs
with Roasted Potatoes. Additional recipe ideas and inspiration for
a romantic Valentine's Day from
ConAgra Foods brands can be found at www.forkful.com.
ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG)
is one of North America's largest
packaged food companies with branded and private branded food found
in 99 percent of America's households, as well as a strong
commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice
operations globally. Consumers can find recognized brands such as
Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hebrew
National®, Hunt's®, Marie
Callender's®, Orville
Redenbacher's®, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®,
Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food
sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery,
convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally,
ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as
well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to
commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates
ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides
consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information,
please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.
ABOUT LAURA IN THE KITCHEN
Internet
sensation Laura Vitale moved to the United States when she was 12 years old.
As a teenager, she developed her love for cooking from her Italian
grandmother, learning many of the recipes for classic Italian
dishes over the phone. In 2010, Laura began a new phase
of her culinary journey when she started her internet cooking
series "Laura in the Kitchen." The series quickly became a hit
and now boasts an audience of several million,
making Laura a well-known name in the cooking community.
Laura is the host of 'Simply Laura' on Cooking Channel.
ABOUT INSTACART
Instacart allows people to order
groceries online by connecting them with a Personal Shopper who
handpicks items at customers' local, favorite stores and delivers
straight to their doors. Founded in San
Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to 15 cities
across the US and partnered with more than 50 grocery retailers,
including popular national chains (Whole Foods Market, Costco) as
well as local, artisan grocers (Fairway Market, Bi-Rite). By
combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart
offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food
from the grocery brands they trust. Instacart is the only grocery
service that can meet today's on-demand lifestyle by delivering in
as little as one hour. First delivery is free at
www.Instacart.com.
1The survey results quoted in this press release are
taken from a survey conducted by The Impulse Research on behalf of
ConAgra Foods from late December 31,
2014 to January 6, 2015. The
survey was answered by more than 1,000 pre-screened randomly
sampled Millennial internet users (ages 18-33) across The Impulse
Research's online panel. The average margin of error is +/-
3%."
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Erin
Hulliberger, Edelman
erin.hulliberger@edelman.com; (312) 240-2989
Dan Skinner, ConAgra Foods
Dan.Skinner@conagrafoods.com; (630) 857-1508
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SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.