Applegate® Elevates Standards on Dairy with Launch of New Cheese Line

Setting the New Standard for Natural Sliced Cheese and Extending Into Convenient Shreds

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Mar 07, 2018, 08:57 ET

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., March 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Applegate, the nation's leading natural and organic meat brand, is progressing its core values of taste, truth and transform with the launch of a new natural cheese line hitting stores this April. These new offerings reflect the brand's mission- Changing The Meat We Eat®- by raising standards in cheese sourcing and production, as they have done with meat for 30 years.

New! Applegate Naturals® Sliced and Shredded Cheese Varieties

"Our mission has been rooted in the idea that food can transform people's lives – from the farmer who grows it to the person who eats it – and this new cheese line exemplifies that idea," said Nicole Glenn, Applegate vice president of marketing. "The uncompromising standards for this new cheese line support a thriving community of farmers, their cows and the land to produce what we like to call clean, crave-able food."

Applegate Naturals® Sliced and Shredded Cheese is made with a transparent, traceable milk pool sourced from pasture-raised cows on independent farms in the Midwest. The cows are humanely raised and never administered antibiotics or growth hormones, and the cheese has no added colors or artificial ingredients. Applegate is also proud to officially announce its first-ever Non-GMO Project Verified cheese.

What sets the new Applegate Naturals® Cheese apart

Quality Milk Pool- Unique milk pool source that ensures high quality that leads to better cheese
Non-GMO Project Verified- To ensure traceability and meet the highest possible standards for GMO avoidance, the new cheese line has been third-party verified by The Non-GMO Project
Elevated Animal Welfare Standards- Humanely raised cows raised in small herds that are pasture raised and never administered antibiotics or hormones (RBGH or RBST)
Community Partnerships- Applegate powers and sustains independent, family-owned farms, supporting their traditional farming methods and their communities across America
New Family Favorites- The new line will offer six sliced varieties, including a proudly not-processed American-Style Colby, and three shredded offerings
Pure, Simple Ingredients- No artificial ingredients, preservatives, or added colors

What the new cheese collection looks like

The new Applegate cheese collection features sliced offerings that reflect America's favorite varieties, as well as an extension of the brand's cheese line into a new convenient shredded form. Six new sliced varieties - Medium Cheddar, Provolone, American-Style Colby, Muenster, Pepper Jack, and Mozzarella – will be brought to market this April, with the addition of Swiss slated for 2019. Three new shredded cheese offerings will feature an Italian Blend, Medium Cheddar, and Mexican Blend.

Applegate Naturals® Sliced and Shredded Cheese will be available at select retailers, such as Hy-Vee, Meijer, Publix, Sprouts, and Whole Foods Market, with a suggested retail price of $4.99 per package. For more information, visit www.applegate.com.

ABOUT APPLEGATE
Founded in 1987, Applegate produces high-quality natural and organic hot dogs, bacon, sausages, deli meats, cheese and frozen products. Our products are made without GMO ingredients, and we source from farms where animals are treated with care and respect and are allowed to grow at their natural rate, all part of our mission - Changing The Meat We Eat®. Natural can mean many things, but to Applegate natural means our food is:

From animals raised humanely without antibiotics, hormones or growth promotants
From animals fed a vegetarian or pasture-centered diet (our beef is 100 percent grass-fed)
Free of added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates
Free of artificial ingredients or preservatives

Applegate became a stand-alone subsidiary of Hormel Foods in July 2015. For more information about our products, visit www.applegate.com or talk with us on www.facebook.com/applegate or twitter.com/Applegate.

SOURCE Applegate