News Release

Two New Complete Meals by Kid Cuisine Address Parents Need for Kid-Favorite Foods That Can Be Part of a Child's Balanced Diet

Aug 9, 2005, 6:58 AM EDT

    OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 9, 2005--

    Kid Cuisine Complete Meals with Nutritional Benefits Give Kids
                   Their Favorite Foods in a Fun Way

The No. 1 brand in the frozen single-serve child meal segment(1), Kid Cuisine(R) continues to bridge the gap between parents and children when it comes to mealtime.

While most children simply want what tastes "yummy" regardless of its convenience or nutritional value, moms and dads understand the importance of healthy growth and development, and are increasingly looking for nutritious and wholesome options their child will enjoy eating. In fact, sales continue to rise for nutritious kid-popular foods such as natural cheese slices and string cheese (28 percent over the past year)(2), and complete meals like Kid Cuisine (9.3 percent over the past year)(3).

Research shows that two of the most popular foods among children are pizza and chicken(4). With the introduction of two new meals - Pop Star Popcorn Chicken and Dip & Dunk Cheese Pizza Strips - Kid Cuisine is offering children their favorite foods in a fun way, while satisfying parents' need for food choices that can be part of a child's overall balanced diet. Kid Cuisine encourages playful, imaginative fun through interactive foods and packaging components, and provides a complete hot meal with nutritional benefits. For instance, the Dip & Dunk Cheese Pizza Strips meal is made with whole grain pizza dough and real mozzarella cheese, and contains fun-shaped fruit snacks. The meal is an excellent source of protein, fiber, calcium and Vitamin C.

"Parents are faced with a big challenge of finding meal options for their children that they can feel good about serving, all while trying to find foods their kids will actually enjoy eating, "said Kathy Peel, founder and president of Family Manager, Inc., a company dedicated to providing helpful resources to strengthen busy families and enhance the home. "When it comes to food, kids are focused on great taste and having fun. The challenges parents face in finding meal options for their children are more complex. Kid Cuisine is the perfect balance for kids and parents, by providing a great complete meal with wholesome ingredients parents can confidently serve their children, and one that their kids will love to eat."

Most parents at one time or another have struggled with getting their children to eat foods they don't like or are unfamiliar to them. It's no surprise as 77 percent of children surveyed say that eating their favorite food is more fun than trying a new food(5).

"Kid Cuisine wants to make mealtime the enjoyable experience it should be for children and parents by offering meals children like to eat, while ensuring that Mom can feel good about her choices," said Brent Guinn, senior marketing manager, ConAgra Foods' Kid Cuisine. "Each Kid Cuisine meal offers a variety of nutritional benefits, and with its great taste and built-in fun, children naturally love to eat it. We also have an interactive web site www.kidcuisine.com, where Mom can review meal nutritional information and kids can find fun games and activities."

Offering interactive meals and packaging components makes mealtime fun for children. Kid Cuisine helps parents by providing a quick way to serve a hot, complete meal that fits into their child's balanced diet. The single-serve meals are made with quality, wholesome ingredients that provide beneficial nutrients such as good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Kid Cuisine meals each contain a vegetable in addition to the main dish, and spurs involvement in the meal such as tomato sauce to decorate pizza. Meal sizes range from 6.65 ounces to 10.6 ounces and provide 320 to 520 calories, depending on the meal and microwave in approximately five minutes. Kid Cuisine's 13 meal varieties include chicken breast nuggets, pizza, cheeseburger, macaroni and cheese, taco roll ups, fish sticks, and more. Available nationally in grocery store freezers, Kid Cuisine's suggested retail price is $2.29.

ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies, serving consumer grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands, in addition to Kid Cuisine, include ACT II, Armour, Banquet, Blue Bonnet, Brown 'N Serve, Butterball, Chef Boyardee, Cook's, Crunch 'n Munch, DAVID, Decker, Eckrich, Egg Beaters, Fleischmann's, Golden Cuisine, Gulden's, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Kid Cuisine, Knott's Berry Farm, La Choy, Lamb Weston, Libby's, Lightlife, Lunch Makers, MaMa Rosa's, Manwich, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Parkay, Pemmican, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Rosarita, Ro*Tel, Slim Jim, Snack Pack, Swiss Miss, Van Camp's, Wesson, Wolf, and many others. For more information, please visit at www.conagrafoods.com.

    (1) IRI, Total United States, 26 weeks ending Jan. 30, 2005

    (2) InfoScan Reviews, Net Frequent Shopper Program Sales, CY2004

    (3) IRI Data, 52-Week, ending June 19, 2005

    (4) KidzEyes Research, January 2003

    (5) KidzEyes Research, January 2003


    CONTACT: Ketchum
             Lindsey Martelle, 312-228-6934
             E-mail: lindsey.martelle@ketchum.com
             or
             ConAgra Foods
             Tania Graves, 402-595-6258
             E-mail: tania.graves@conagrafoods.com
             www.conagrafoods.com

    SOURCE: ConAgra Foods, Inc.