CAG ConAgra Brands Inc

Grand Prize: Trip for Two to Sonoma Valley Wine Weekend OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For many, life's most memorable moments share a common setting: the dinner table. Increasingly, people are "cooking for fun, (1)" and as the percentage of money spent on food at home is on the rise -- the most dramatic change since the 1940's(2), passionate cooks want restaurant inspired meals for formal dinner parties, casual get-togethers or just a night in with the family. The key to making those meals unforgettable begins with the best possible ingredients. To reward amateur cooks who take pride in creating compliment-worthy dishes, Hunt's Tomatoes today launched its "Best Meals, Best Moments" recipe contest. Consumers can enter to win a grand prize all-inclusive trip for two to Gourmet Magazine's Sonoma Valley Wine Weekend, where the nation's top chefs and wineries will deliver three days of memorable meals and the unforgettable moments that go with them, including admission to the Saturday Taste of Sonoma. "The first step toward creating a memorable meal is using high-quality, fresh-tasting ingredients," said Laura Flanagan, vice president and general manager of ConAgra Foods' Grocery Group. "Hunt's Tomatoes are a great place to start. They are 100-percent natural, vine-ripened, and hand-selected at the peak of freshness and flash-steamed to ensure maximum quality and consistent flavor in every can. We're looking forward to trying America's favorite recipes and to learning how our tomatoes have played a role in people's best memories." Until December 8, 2008, Hunt's will collect America's most memorable, creative and tasty recipes that use the brand's diced, whole, crushed or stewed tomato varieties -- including two new must-have pantry items for fall: Crushed Tomatoes with Basil and Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Basil. Consumers can visit http://www.hunts.com/ to upload their favorite recipes with a brief description of what makes the meal their best and why it is memorable. All entries for the "Best Meals, Best Moments" contest must be received by Dec. 8, 2008, for judging by an independent panel of culinary experts. Five hundred semifinalists will be awarded Martha Stewart's latest cookbook, Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook, and six finalists will be announced on Jan. 13, 2009. In addition, visitors to http://www.hunts.com/ will then have four weeks to vote as part of a sweepstakes for their favorite dish among the six finalists. In late February, one winning recipe will be unveiled on Hunt's Web site, and that winner and one randomly chosen voter will each receive a trip for two to Gourmet Magazine's Sonoma Valley Wine Weekend in 2009. From The Vine To The Plate Not all tomatoes are created equal. For more than a century, the tomato experts at Hunt's have stocked pantries across America with 100-percent natural, vine-ripened tomatoes that are hand-selected at the peak of ripeness, not on a pre-determined schedule. Hunt's is the only leading brand of tomatoes that uses the FlashSteam(TM) process. The complete journey from vine to can takes only hours, ensuring maximum freshness, quality and consistent flavor in every can. The result is 100-percent natural, premium, red vine-ripened tomatoes that are delicious, fresh-tasting, flavorful, extremely versatile and entirely free of any artificial ingredients or preservatives. ABOUT HUNT'S TOMATOES It's been more than 100 years since Joseph and William Hunt founded the Hunt Brothers Packing Company in Oakdale, Calif. Since then, Hunt's has grown to become one of the largest tomato processors in the world, offering a complete line of canned tomato products: diced, whole, crushed, stewed, pureed, organic diced, organic whole, organic crushed, tomato sauce and tomato paste. All varieties are available at grocery and mass retailers nationwide. Along the way, Hunt's gained an unprecedented knowledge of everything tomato. From locating the perfect fields to developing all-natural processing methods that ensure superior quality and consistent flavor, Hunt's is committed to providing great-tasting products that enrich family meals. Owned by ConAgra Foods, Hunt's continues to innovate and introduce exciting new products. Hunt's rich history, extensive tomato knowledge and unparalleled dedication to quality set the brand apart, and that's why the world looks to Hunt's as the Tomato Expert. ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE:CAG) 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 http://www.conagrafoods.com/. (1) MRI (Mediamark Research Intelligence), 2008 -- 3.8 million more Americans have participated in "cooking for fun" in 2008 than in 2006 (2) Compared to food spent eating out, according to the Food Price Outlook 2008, from Economic Research Service of the USDA. Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/cpifoodandexpenditures/consumerpriceindex.htm DATASOURCE: ConAgra Foods Inc. CONTACT: Mike Shriner of Ketchum, +1-312-228-6933, for ConAgra Foods Inc.; or Genevieve Mazzeo of ConAgra Foods, +1-402-595-6864 Web site: http://www.conagrafoods.com/ http://www.hunts.com/

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