Frozen fare is front and center of Conagra Brands’ wide ranging summer menu of innovative, on-trend product rollouts at retail stores across the USA.
“We’re excited for consumers to try our newest offerings,” said Burke Raine, president, frozen and refrigerated foods, at the Chicago, Illinois-headquartered company. “Food can be inspiring, satisfying, comforting and nourishing, and we think our debuts for summer 2022 deliver against those qualities.”
Frozen for One, Frozen for All
Highlighting Conagra Brands’ newest foods is a broad collection of single-serve and multi-serve meals from name brands such as Healthy Choice, Marie Callender’s, Banquet and Frontera. Descriptions of the offerings now available in freezer cases and cabinets follow.
Healthy Choice has pizza on the menu; three varieties with restaurant-inspired toppings, savory sauces and a crust made with cauliflower, wheat, and barley. Single-serve flatbread pizzas include Turkey Pepperoni, Chicken Sausage Supreme (pictured a above) and BBQ Seasoned Chicken.
Healthy Choice is also adding to its collection of Zero single serve bowls with Beef and Broccoli, a popular Asian meal with a recipe made from zero added sugar, no preservatives, zero artificial colors and no artificial flavors.
Marie Callender’s combo meals are a highlight of many restaurant chain menus and serve as the inspiration behind Marie Callender’s new Duos meals. These single-serve SKUs include Chicken Alfredo & Chicken Parmigiana, Meatloaf & Country Fried Chicken, Creamy Pesto Chicken & Four Cheese Ravioli.
P.F. Chang’s Home Menu dishes inspired by the Bistro menu are now available in single-serve bowls. Among offerings are Beef & Broccoli, Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Lo Mein and Chicken Fried Rice.
With Hispanic cuisine among the pockets of growth in the frozen food department, the authentic taste of Frontera offers a new look and recipe for four single-serve bowls: Chicken Fajita, Carne Asada Burrito, Chicken Verde Burrito and Pork Carnitas Burrito.
For consumers with hungry appetites seeking bold, QSR-inspired flavors, Banquet’s MEGA line is make to deliver. Two additions to this collection are a Country Fried Chicken meal and a Bacon Mac & Cheese bowl.
With a keen eye towards protecting the environment, Evol has become the first brand to introduce single-serve frozen meals that are Carbonfree Certified Carbon Neutral. The new Five Cheese Alfredo Mac with Chicken headlines a collection of eight meals produced in a TRUE certified Zero Waste facility. Other meals that are now Carbonfree Certified Carbon Neutral include Fire Grilled Steak, Butternut Squash & Sage Ravioli, Chicken Enchilada Bake and Chicken Teriyaki.
Bertolli, regarded as the top brand in authentic, multi-serve Italian meals, is introducing a quartet of Pasta Sides, offering the flexibility to serve as a meal starter, side dish or entrée. Flavors include Cheese Lovers Tortellini, Cheese & Spinach Ravioli, 4 Cheese Ravioli and Herb Gnocchi.
With consumers seeking convenient solutions that feel like real cooking, three new Birds Eye Voila! Oven Bake Meals offer the best of both worlds by eliminating prep while offering an infusion of classic and modern casserole flavors. Consumers can enjoy Chicken Taco, Lasagna with Meat Sauce and Creamy Parmesan Garlic Chicken.
Vegetables for Any Occasion
Birds Eye continues to imagine new ways to bring frozen vegetables to the table, with flavorful side dishes, appetizers and meal starters. The newest vegetable-based debuts include raw following.
Veggies & Grains: Combining premium vegetables, hearty grains and flavorful sauces, these four new microwaveable dishes feature Creamy Pesto, Green Goddess, Buddha and Harvest varieties.
Quick Roasters: Now there’s a convenient, hassle-free way to enjoy the texture of oven roasted vegetables from the microwave oven. Using Birds Eye’s new micro-roast bags, one can prepare Cauliflower, Cauliflower & Broccoli, Red Potatoes and Halved Brussels Sprouts in less than seven minutes.
Rice & Pasta Veggie Sides: With classic sauces and a delectable mix of pasta or rice with vegetables, new Cheddar Cheese Rice & Broccoli and Zesty Marina Rigatoni & Vegetables can accompany any meal.
Loaded Cauliflower Bites: Cauliflower has been one of the hottest vegetables in the freezer case, with 23% menu penetration growth over the past four years. Newly launches Loaded Cauliflower Bites are accentuated with Bacon Cheddar and Southwest Style flavors.
More Cauliflower: Sweet Chili joins Birds Eye’s collection of five flavors of Cauliflower Wings. For a steakhouse-inspired side dish, the new Bacon Cheddar Cauliflower Bake is ready for a seat at the table.
Plant-Based at Every Meal
As more consumers seek plant-based foods, Gardein continues to expand the brand’s Ultimate Plant-Based collection with options suited for every meal of the day. Chicken wing fans will welcome the arrival of Gardein’s new Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Wings, available in Buffalo and BBQ style. The Gardein Ultimate Plant-Based Spicy Chick’n Filet compliments the Original variety that debuted last year. And plant-based Saus’ge is on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spicy Italian and Bratwurst links are joined by Original and Spicy breakfast patties.
