Meredith And Bellisio Foods Introduce EatingWell™ Frozen Entrées

NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP; www.meredith.com), the nation's leading media and marketing company serving over 102 million American women, including three out of four Millennial women, and Bellisio Foods, one of the nation's largest, most trusted and fastest growing frozen food companies, today introduced EatingWell™ frozen entrées. EatingWell frozen entrées are a delicious addition to the freezer aisle and feature ingredients selected specifically for those seeking great-tasting, better-for-you meal options.

The EatingWell line of frozen entrées includes eight flavorful meals such as Cherry Port Pork, Indian Inspired Chicken, Vermont Cheddar Mac & Cheese, and Korean Inspired Beef. The meals each start with one cup of vegetables; 13 or more grams of protein; chicken, beef or pork raised without antibiotics; and whole grains. Each meal is free of artificial colors and flavors, preservatives, MSG, and hydrogenated oils.

For more information about the entire line, visit http://frozenfresh.eatingwell.com/.

For Meredith Brand Licensing's first expansion into the retail consumable food category, Meredith and Bellisio collaborated with EatingWell experts on product development and ingredient selection, ensuring that all of the entrée recipes meet the better-for-you parameters of the EatingWell brand while delivering great taste and responsible ingredient sourcing.

Unique to the EatingWell line of frozen entrées is its first-of-its-kind Fresh-Seal™ packaging. The cut-away carton provides a clear view of the enclosed meal, which is hand-placed on a black plate and vacuum-sealed in a self-venting film to maintain freshness, reduce freezer burn, and improve shelf life.

"We have great faith in the growth potential of the EatingWell brand to expand from its strong media footprint into food products and beyond," says Elise Contarsy, Vice President of Meredith Brand Licensing. "It delivers a trusted name and an accessible, healthy point of view. We are thrilled to be partnering with such a reputable, high-quality company like Bellisio to bring such great-tasting food to consumers with easy and convenient frozen entrées." 

"We are excited to officially launch EatingWell frozen entrées and to fill a long-existing void in the marketplace for delicious, authentic and convenient frozen food products that fit consumers' healthful lifestyles," says Jeff Tuttle, Senior Vice President of Innovation with Bellisio Foods. "We strongly believe consumers will respond favorably to our meal choices, our ingredient selection, and the EatingWell brand name, plus the degree of transparency we're bringing to market, from packaging to ingredients."

EatingWell frozen entrées are now available in more than 5,000 retail stores nationwide, including Associated Food Stores, Food Maxx, Fred Meyer, Fry's Stores, Giant Eagle, Jewel-Osco, King Soopers, Kroger Stores, Lucky Market, Lunds Byerlys, Meijer, Pick N Save, Quality Food Stores, Ralphs Fresh Fare, Ralphs Grocery, Save Mart, Schnucks, Smith's Food and Drug, Smith's Marketplace, SpartanNash, and Wegmans, and select Albertsons, Safeway Stores, and Walmart locations.

Launched in 1990, EatingWell is a leading source of science-based nutrition advice, inspiring articles about food, farms and cooking, and delicious, healthy recipes. EatingWell magazine is published six times a year by Meredith, with a rate base of 1 million and an audience of 6.2 million readers. The brand has diversified to multiple formats, including a content-rich website that reaches over 4 million unique visitors per month, social media platforms with more than 2.8 million followers, content and brand licensing, custom publishing, and consumer cookbooks. Its core mission is to make healthy eating a joyful way of life.

EatingWell is a seven-time winner of the coveted Bert Greene Award, the highest award in magazine journalism given by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP); has won 13 James Beard awards, with an additional 16 nominations; and was selected to the Advertising Age "A-List" in 2013.

Additional information may be found at www.eatingwell.com.

ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION

Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP;www.meredith.com) has been committed to service journalism for 115 years. Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms – including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile and video – to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners.

Meredith's National Media Group reaches more than 100 million unduplicated women every month, including nearly 75 percent of U.S. Millennial women. Meredith is the leader in creating and distributing content across platforms in key consumer interest areas such as food, home, parenting and health through well-known brands such as Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, SHAPE, Allrecipes and EatingWell.

Meredith also features robust brand licensing activities, including more than 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. Meredith Xcelerated Marketing is an award-winning, strategic and creative agency that provides fully integrated marketing solutions for many of the world's top brands, including Kraft, Lowe's, TGI Friday's and NBC Universal.

Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 owned or operated television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households. Meredith's portfolio is concentrated in large, fast-growing markets, with seven stations in the nation's Top 25 – including Atlanta, Phoenix, St. Louis and Portland – and 13 in Top 50 markets. Meredith's stations produce over 660 hours of local news and entertainment content each week, and operate leading local digital destinations.

Meredith's balanced portfolio consistently generates substantial free cash flow, and the Company is committed to growing Total Shareholder Return through dividend payments, share repurchases and strategic business investments. Meredith's current annualized dividend of $1.98 per share yields approximately 4 percent. Meredith has paid a dividend for 69 straight years and increased it for 23 consecutive years.

ABOUT BELLISIO FOODS

Bellisio Foods, Inc. is one of the nation's largest and fastest growing frozen food companies with a rich 25-year history of providing quality, innovative food tailored to consumer tastes and lifestyles. Based in Minneapolis, Bellisio Foods produces more than 400 products spanning a wide variety of frozen food categories, including single and multi-serve entrees, snacks, side dishes and specialty sauces. Bellisio markets these products under its Michelina's and Eat! brands, as well as under licensed brands Boston Market, Chili's, EatingWell, and Atkins. The company also co-manufactures private label, retail and foodservice products. For more information, visit www.bellisiofoods.com.    

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SOURCE Meredith Corporation

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