Birds Eye® Taps Kids To Shake Up America's View Of Veggies

PARSIPPANY, N.J., July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- What if kids asked moms for veggies at the dinner table because they're wacky, fun and exciting? That's the goal of Pinnacle Foods' Birds Eye brand. Birds Eye is the first company to go straight to the source, kids, to change the conversation about vegetables and inspire the next generation to love their veggies. By tapping Nickelodeon, the number-one entertainment brand for kids, and working with iCarly's Jennette McCurdy as a veggie-loving ambassador, Birds Eye is empowering kids' culinary creativity and encouraging them to share their veggie inspiration with other kids.

As part of the "iCarly iCook with Birds Eye" initiative, at Nick.com/BirdsEye, parents and kids can create their own wacky veggie dish for a chance to have it featured on an episode of iCarly. Kids can also enter for a chance to win a trip to the set of a Nickelodeon show with McCurdy. To celebrate creativity, kids can experiment using the virtual kitchen and dish creator. They can also get their 15 minutes of fame by submitting their chef-tastic photos to be featured as the "Chef of the Week." On the site, there will be exclusive "wacky veggie fun" video content with UPC codes from Birds Eye Steamfresh packages. And, Birds Eye will look to the kid-inspired creations for future product innovations.

McCurdy announced the Birds Eye initiative to her more than 3 million Twitter and Facebook fans with a special inaugural video featuring an impromptu veggie rap song. "It's all about celebrating the awesomeness of veggies," said McCurdy.  "With all the variety, colors and deliciousness packed into Birds Eye vegetables, it's fun to get crazy in the kitchen, and I'm committed to being a role model by eating more veggies every day." 

With nine out of 10 children and adolescents in the United States not getting the recommended amount of vegetables(1), Birds Eye has a sustained commitment to engage kids with vegetables and help reverse the decline. Beyond the Nickelodeon partnership, Birds Eye pledged a three-year commitment with the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), which includes marketing and advertising vegetables directly to kids in their voice and bringing to market kid-inspired products. First Lady Michelle Obama has lauded Birds Eye's innovative approach to inspiring kids and helping support moms and is "proud that Birds Eye and the Partnership for a Healthier America have come together to make the healthy choice the easy choice for families."  

Moms can get involved with the campaign, too, by visiting BirdsEye.com to to check out new kid-friendly recipes, such as Green Monster Pizza Night and Grilled Cheesy Broccoli Pockets with Ham featuring Birds Eye Steamfresh® products. Birds Eye Steamfresh is perfect for kids' cooking because no knives or hot stoves are required—they can help press the buttons on the microwave and, with mom's help removing and pouring, it's simple for kids to prepare their own creations.

 "Nickelodeon is a perfect partner for Birds Eye to inspire a new generation of vegetable lovers because they have powerful assets like iCarly that kids love and the right creative, fun and engaging approach that will encourage change for future generations," said Rodrigo Troni, senior vice president of marketing, Birds Eye. "We've become mom's ally at the dinner table and we want to help moms even more by encouraging kids to think about vegetables differently. Moms know the benefits of vegetables on the plate, but it takes a breakthrough approach to get kids involved so they own and enjoy their vegetables."

As a pioneer of frozen vegetables, Birds Eye knows it's how you make the meal that matters. Birds Eye's heritage, quality, taste and variety can make the dinnertime difference. With more than 40 unique vegetables offered and countless ways to enjoy them, from pure and simple vegetable favorites to sauced and seasoned sides and steamed varieties, Birds Eye gives consumers limitless possibilities to complete the meal with vegetables every day.

About Birds Eye
Birds Eye® unlocks the wonder of vegetables and makes them accessible and enjoyable to everyone, everyday. Using vegetables picked and frozen at their peak of freshness, Birds Eye® helps Americans make vegetables a meaningful part of everyday life. Providing a range of tasty and exciting solutions that make eating vegetables a memorable taste experience, Birds Eye® has something for everyone: with pure and simple vegetables under the Birds Eye®, C&W®, Freshlike® and McKenzie's® brand names; Birds Eye Steamfresh® vegetables and vegetable rich blends; and Birds Eye Voila!® complete frozen meals. For more information on Birds Eye® visit www.birdseye.com or www.facebook.com/BirdsEyeVegetables

About Pinnacle Foods Group LLC
Millions of times a day in more than 85% of American households, consumers reach for Pinnacle Foods brands. Pinnacle Foods is a Top 1000 Company ranked on Fortune Magazine's 2011 Top 1000 companies list. We are a leading producer, marketer and distributor of high-quality branded food products, which have been trusted household names for decades. Headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, our business employs an average of 4,300 employees. We are a leader in the shelf stable and frozen foods segments and our brands hold the #1 or #2 market position in 8 out of 12 major category segments in which they compete. Our Duncan Hines Grocery Division manages Leadership brands such as Duncan Hines® baking mixes and frostings, Vlasic® shelf-stable pickles and Mrs. Butterworth's® and Log Cabin® table syrups and Foundation brands such as Armour® canned meats, Brooks® and Nalley® chili and chili ingredients, Comstock® and Wilderness® pie and pastry fillings and Open Pit® barbecue sauces. Our Birds Eye Frozen Division manages Leadership brands such as Birds Eye®, Birds Eye Steamfresh®, C&W®, McKenzie's®, and Fresh like® vegetables, Birds Eye Voila!® complete bagged meals and Van de Kamp's® and Mrs. Paul's® seafood and Foundation brands such as Lender's® bagels, Celeste® pizza, Hungry-Man® dinners and entrees and Aunt Jemima® frozen breakfasts. Our Specialty Foods Division manages Tim's Cascade Snacks®, Hawaiian® Kettle Style Potato Chips, Erin's® Popcorn, Snyder of Berlin® and Husman's® in addition to our food service and private label businesses. Further information is available at http://www.pinnaclefoods.com.

About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 15 consecutive years.
Nickelodeon is a division of MTV Networks, and Viacom Inc. www.nick.com

[1] State of the Plate Report 2010:  Study of America's Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables.  Produce for Better Health Foundation.

SOURCE Pinnacle Foods Group LLC