As Meatless Goes Mainstream, DIGIORNO and STOUFFER'S Launch New Products With Plant-Based Innovations

Nestlé adds Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds meat alternative to oven-ready pizzas and lasagnas

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Dec 05, 2019, 09:00 ET

SOLON, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of America's beloved brands are getting even more awesome. Nestlé is launching new meatless DIGIORNO® and STOUFFER'S® offerings made with SWEET EARTH™ Awesome Grounds, a plant-based ground beef alternative.

DIGIORNO Rising Crust Meatless Supreme with SWEET EARTH Awesome Grounds and STOUFFER'S Meatless Lasagna with SWEET EARTH Awesome Grounds will help satisfy consumers looking for convenient and meat-free options from brands they know and trust. Similar to the original offerings with real meat, these new recipes have the same high product quality, taste and texture.

Consumers are increasingly showing interest in adopting a 'flexitarian' lifestyle — making an active choice to incorporate more plant-based meals into their diets, while occasionally eating meat or fish. In recent years, the demand for meals made with meat alternatives has gone mainstream. According to a consumer survey commissioned by Nestlé USA, nearly half have either integrated plant-based meat into their diet or would consider doing so long-term and 3 in 10 who have not yet tried plant-based meat responded that would do so if they had the opportunity. Nearly half also say that they would be very likely to try plant-based meat if used in pizza or lasagna.*

Today only, consumers can visit TryItMeatless.com to enter for a chance to receive a first taste of these offerings before they are widely available in retail starting in Spring 2020. Recipients will get a complimentary sample of DIGIORNO Rising Crust Meatless Supreme with Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds or STOUFFER'S Meatless Lasagna with Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds.

"There's no denying the current modern food movement is revolutionizing the plant-based space," said John Carmichael, president of the foods division at Nestlé. "By adding Sweet Earth Awesome Grounds to STOUFFER'S and DIGIORNO offerings, we're able to offer our customers the chance to incorporate plant-based meals into their diets while still enjoying the same convenience and delicious flavor of brands they know and trust."

Acquired by Nestlé in 2017, Sweet Earth is the creator of dozens of plant-based offerings, including the Awesome Burger and Awesome Grounds, which both launched in supermarkets across the U.S. in October. Awesome Grounds are made from textured yellow pea protein, wheat gluten, canola oil coconut oil, and other fine ingredients and contains 16g of protein and 4g of fiber per serving.

For more information, visit DiGiorno.com and Stouffers.com.

Nestlé USA
Named among "The World's Most Admired Food Companies" in Fortune magazine for twenty-two consecutive years, Nestlé USA brands are in nearly every home in the country. With some of the most recognizable food and beverage brands, including Coffee mate, DiGiorno and Nestlé Toll House, the largest coffee portfolio in the U.S. with Nescafé, Nestlé Starbucks Coffee and Chameleon Cold Brew, and category disrupters like Sweet Earth, Nestlé USA makes delicious, convenient products people love. With 2018 sales of $9.7 billion, Nestlé USA is part of Nestlé S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland — the world's largest food and beverage company. For product news and information, visit Nestleusa.com or Facebook.com/NestleUSA.

About Sweet Earth Foods:
Based in Moss Landing, California, Sweet Earth Foods is an award-winning and fast-growing vegetarian food innovator that brings consumers flavor-forward, nutrient-dense, sustainably-minded products. As a leader in the Modern Food Movement, their on-trend products feature global flavors and plant-based proteins like seitan (wheat-based), tofu and legumes like lentils, chickpeas and beans, and span three core platforms: entrees, breakfast and plant-based proteins, called Righteous Meats®. Founded by husband and wife Brian and Kelly Swette, the company has won over health-conscious consumers with delicious, nutritious new takes on timelessly appealing foods. For more information, please visit www.SweetEarthFoods.com and connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SweetEarthFoods.

*Findings were collected from a survey commissioned by Nestle USA. The study was fielded online among a representative sample of 2,200 U.S. adults between September 16 and September 17, 2019.

SOURCE Nestlé USA