Conagra Brands Unveils Meals, Sides and Snacks at Natural Products Expo West 2024

New Foods Combine Convenience, Elevated Ingredients and Delicious Flavor

CHICAGO, March 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), one of North America's leading branded food companies, is showcasing a diverse line-up of new meals, vegetable sides and snacks at Natural Products Expo West 2024 in Anaheim, California. Drawing inspiration from top culinary trends and popular restaurant offerings, Conagra's latest arrivals thoughtfully combine quality ingredients, delicious flavor, and convenience.   

"Expo West is the perfect time for us to unveil an exciting collection of new foods," said Burke Raine, president, Frozen & Refrigerated, Conagra Brands. "Our team has worked hard to ensure a fantastic culinary experience, and we're excited to give visitors to Expo West a first taste of these great offerings."

Visitors to the Conagra Brands booth at Natural Products Expo West 2024 can sample several new items scheduled to debut in stores this May. The line-up includes:

Alexia: Alexia® continues to elevate the vegetable side dish experience, drawing on the brand's chef-founded roots and a commitment to quality ingredients. Within the value-added vegetables category, sauced and seasoned is the fastest growing behavior¹, setting the stage for two new skillet sides and two new oven-roasted sides from Alexia.

• Brown Butter Green Beans: A sumptuous take on the No. 1 skillet prep vegetable², green beans
• Hot Honey Carrots: With 40% menu penetration growth over the past year³, hot honey is the perfect accompaniment for the No. 2 skillet prep vegetable⁴, carrots
• Parmesan Truffle Broccoli: The No. 1 oven prep vegetable⁵, broccoli, meets an elevated parmesan truffle sauce
• Balsamic Brussels Sprouts & Carrots: A maple balsamic sauce offers the ideal finishing touch for this colorful blend of oven-roasted vegetables

Blake's: Within the growing $5 billion-dollar frozen comfort meals category, Blake's® is the leader in better-for-you pot pie sales⁶. Now the brand's farm-to-table philosophy is extending to four new all-natural comfort food meals. Each includes a protein, starch and side.

• Country Fried Chicken: This classic American white meat chicken dish is covered in creamy gravy, and paired with roasted potatoes and seasoned green beans
• Homestyle Meatloaf: Another comfort food icon, savory meatloaf is topped with gravy, with sides of roasted potatoes and sweet corn
• Roasted Chicken: A creamy cheese sauce pairs perfectly with juicy chicken, accompanied by seasoned broccoli and cheesy rice
• BBQ Seasoned Pork: BBQ fans will love this braised pork with a tangy sauce. Cheesy pasta and sweet corn complete the meal

evol: Celebrating flavorful ingredients presented with style, evol's® frozen meals deliver modern American recipes that are elevated yet approachable. Four new evol frozen meals take their cue from restaurant menus and offer a complementary protein, starch and vegetable.

• Hot Honey Chicken: A delicious hot honey glaze brings the heat, while the fried white meat chicken, sweet potatoes, and seasoned brussels sprouts satisfy your taste buds
• Garlic Herb Steak: A savory yet tender combination, garlic herb flavors the steak perfectly. Roasted potatoes and seasoned broccoli accompany the meal
• Chicken Adobo: This flavorful take on Mexican cuisine features juicy white meat chicken with a delicious red chili Adobo sauce, and sides of elote-style corn and cilantro rice
• Meatballs and Orzo: Savory meatballs are covered in a creamy tomato sauce and paired with fluffy orzo and seasoned green beans

In addition to the new single-serve meals, evol's collection of bowls will welcome a first-ever seafood dish, Garlic Shrimp Cavatappi. Pasta, grilled shrimp and roasted red peppers are married with a creamy garlic sauce.

Frontera: The popularity of Mexican cuisine shows no signs of slowing. Among the most beloved menu items, frozen enchiladas have seen 6% sales growth over the past year with $278 million in sales⁷. Yet few offerings combine the convenience of frozen with restaurant-inspired recipes and ingredients.

The heritage of Frontera® is rooted in the restaurants created by chef Rick Bayless. Two new enchiladas reflect his passion for authentic, quality ingredients. Chicken Enchiladas with Chile Verde Sauce and Cheese Enchiladas with Red Enchilada Sauce are made with corn tortillas and filled with delicious ingredients. 

Gardein: The Ultimate Plant-Based® collection from Gardein® continues to elevate the taste experience in plant-based, giving vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians numerous ways to enjoy their favorite dishes meat free.

• Ultimate Plant-Based Meatballs: These delicious, hearty meatballs with 19g of protein per serving are perfect for pasta, sandwiches and more
• Ultimate Plant-Based F'sh®: A plant-based way to enjoy fish and chips, each filet is 3 oz. and covered in a crispy panko breading
• Ultimate Plant-Based Bowls – Chick'n Fried Rice: The latest addition to Gardein's popular line-up of single-serve bowls features one of the category's fastest-growing flavors. Ingredients include Gardein's plant-based Chick'n, rice, peas, carrots and a savory sauce

Purple Carrot: A pair of new single-serve bowls from Purple Carrot® show that 100% plant-based meals can still be 100% delicious. Dollar-sales growth of vegan single-serve meals has grown 11% since 2020⁸. While top-trending Asian flavors are leading overall frozen single-serve meal growth, the plant-based category is underrepresented. Purple Carrot's two debuts are designed to satisfy the need.

• Vegetable Tikka Masala: A classic Indian dish featuring roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, red bell peppers and sweet peas over farro and brown rice with a tikka masala sauce
• Sweet & Sour Cauliflower: A quintessential Asian-style sauce made with pineapple ginger, topping cauliflower, edamame, red bell peppers and carrots over farro and brown rice

Conagra's presence at Expo West will also showcase new snack foods from Glutino®, which ranks in the top three in sales of both gluten-free pretzels and gluten-free sweet snacks.

• Sandwich Cookies: Three new Glutino sandwich cookies will satisfy your urge for a sweet treat with 30% less sugar than the original.
  • Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa: The first co-branded offering in the category is a delicious Swiss Miss® cocoa-flavored treat
  • Lemon Pie: A delightfully tart flavor debuts in gluten-free sandwich cookies
  • Mint: Mint crème filling between chocolate cookies

• Pretzel Twists: New seasoned and flavored pretzels are the perfect snack whether you crave something savory or sweet.
  • Vlasic® Dill Pickle: The first co-branded pickle flavor within gluten-free pretzels
  • Honey Mustard: A gluten-free version of the No. 2 selling flavor in the category⁹
  • Birthday Cake: Festive pretzels enrobed in white fudge, topped with colorful sprinkles

For more information on Conagra Brands, including innovation from the company's roster of nearly 100 brands, visit conagrabrands.com, or visit Booth 961 in Hall A at Expo West.

1: Circana National Eating Trends, Sourced from Home/Retail, 2 YE June 2023
2-5: Circana National Eating Trends, Sourced from Home/Retail, 2 YE Sept 2023
6: Circana POS, Years 2020- Building 2023; Circana POS, L52 WE 10/22/2023
7: Circana POS, Total MULO+C, L52 WE 11/26/2023 (Retail Size)
8: Circana POS, Total US-MULO+C, L52 WE 11/26,2023; Circana POS, Datassentails data 12/09/2023
9: Circana POS, MULO+C, Pretzel category  L52 WE 11/26/2023

The Purple Carrot® trademark is being used under license from Three Limes, Inc. d/b/a The Purple Carrot.

About Conagra Brands

Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), headquartered in Chicago, is one of North America's leading branded food companies. Guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, Conagra Brands combines a rich heritage of making great food with a sharpened focus on innovation. The company's portfolio is evolving to satisfy people's changing food preferences. Conagra's iconic brands, such as Birds Eye®, Duncan Hines®, Healthy Choice®, Marie Callender's®, Reddi-wip®, and Slim Jim®, as well as emerging brands, including Angie's® BOOMCHICKAPOP®, Duke's®, Earth Balance®, Gardein®, and Frontera®, offer choices for every occasion. For more information, visit www.conagrabrands.com.

For all media inquiries, please contact: 
Dan Skinner
Conagra Brands
(312) 549 -5636
[email protected]

SOURCE Conagra Brands, Inc.