ConAgra Foods to Leverage Smart Choices Programâ„¢ Food Labels to Help Consumers Improve Nutrition
October 27 2008 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
To help Americans make the food and beverage choices important to
healthier living, ConAgra Foods will feature the Smart Choices
Program� logo, a labeling program unveiled at the American Dietetic
Association�s annual expo, on its products. The Smart Choices
Program symbol, to be shown on the front of food packages,
identifies more nutritious choices within specific product
categories as well as calories per serving and servings per
container. ConAgra Foods products, including items such as Healthy
Choice� meals, Hunt�s� canned tomatoes, and Egg Beaters� liquid
eggs, will begin using the symbol winter 2009. �At a time when
consumers need to get more value than ever from their food dollars,
we should keep in mind that good nutrition is an important
component of value,� said Gary Rodkin, ConAgra Foods CEO. �Making
healthful choices every day could save Americans, and our country,
significant money in the way of reduced healthcare costs related to
obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other conditions that have
proven links to the food and beverage choices we make each day.�
The Smart Choices Program was driven by consumer demand for a
single, trusted and reliable front-of-pack nutrition labeling
program that food manufacturers and retailers could voluntarily
adopt to help consumers make more nutritious food and beverage
choices that fit within their daily calorie needs. The Smart
Choices Program logo may only be used on products that meet
science-based nutrition criteria including: Nutrients to limit:
total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, added sugars and
sodium; Nutrients to encourage: calcium, potassium, fiber,
magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E; and, Food groups to
encourage: fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat free
dairy. As a supporter of the program, ConAgra Foods will use the
Smart Choices Program logo only on its branded products that meet
the nutrition criteria. The criteria were derived from the 2005
Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other authoritative nutrition
sources. ConAgra Foods anticipates that nearly 300 of its products
will bear the new Smart Choices Program logo, including products
like its Healthy Choice Asian-Inspired Caf� Steamers Sweet Sesame
Chicken and Egg Beaters with Yolk. �Since the launch of the Healthy
Choice brand 20 years ago, ConAgra Foods has been committed to
providing consumers with options that make putting a meal on the
table healthful and convenient. By featuring the Smart Choices
Program logo on our products, we believe consumers will have an
added layer of convenience when they�re looking for products that
help them meet their health goals,� said Patty Packard, MS, RD,
ConAgra Foods director of nutrition. �Moreover, at a time when
consumers need to get more value than ever from their food dollars,
getting good nutrition from their food choices also becomes more
important than ever.� Smart Choices Program was developed by a
coalition of the nation�s leading authorities on food, nutrition
and health, including a diverse coalition of scientists,
academicians, health and research organizations, food and beverage
manufacturers and retailers. The program was developed under the
leadership of The Keystone Center, a non-profit organization that
specializes in creating consensus solutions to public health
problems. The coalition is dedicated to transparency, making its
process and nutrition criteria publicly available. Additionally,
the program was designed to be flexible and sustainable � allowing
for revisions as new public policy, dietary guidelines and science
emerges. ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's
leading packaged food companies, serving consumer grocery
retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice
establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: ACT
II, Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew
National, Hunt�s, Kid Cuisine, Marie Callender�s, Orville
Redenbacher�s, Peter Pan, PAM, Reddi-wip, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss,
Wesson and many others. For more information, please visit us at
www.conagrafoods.com.
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