Sesame Street's Elmo, Grover and Cookie Monster, Encourage Children to Eat Their Del Monte Veggies!

    SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Del Monte(R)
 vegetables featuring Sesame Street characters will be offered in specialty
 four-packs of each variety in grocery stores nationwide, and eight and
 twelve-packs in select club retailers, in order to help promote healthier
 eating habits among the nation's youth. The product packaging will feature
 one of the three Sesame Street characters -- Elmo with Green Beans, Grover
 with Sweet Peas and Cookie Monster with Corn -- along with on-pack coloring
 activities developed by Sesame Workshop.
     With recent studies indicating that fewer than 15% of elementary age
 school children eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and
 vegetables each day, Del Monte Foods' partnership with the nonprofit
 educational organization Sesame Workshop is a timely one. The partnership
 was first announced in June 2006 during the Licensing Show in New York
 City.
     "Children used to seeing Elmo and his friends Cookie Monster and Grover
 on television will now see them in grocery stores everywhere, encouraging
 them to eat their vegetables," said Apu Mody, Senior Vice President,
 Consumer Products for Del Monte. "At Del Monte, we are passionate about
 nourishing families and enriching lives every day by offering a variety of
 healthful, convenient and great tasting products. We are proud to support
 Sesame Workshop's Healthy Habits for Life initiative, a content-based
 program to help young children and their families lead healthier lives
 through improved nutrition, physical activity, and hygiene."
     According to a 2001 study from the United States Department of
 Agriculture (USDA) Center for Policy and Promotion, diets of the majority
 of school-aged children in the United States "need improvement." Additional
 studies have shown that developing healthy habits at a young age can help
 put children on a positive trajectory for a healthy life. Fortunately,
 research suggests that a window of opportunity exists during the preschool
 years in which children's healthy habits can be positively shaped by their
 early social environments. A study conducted by the Sesame Workshop in 2003
 indicated that preschoolers' intake of a particular food, in this case
 broccoli, increased by 28 percent if the product was branded with a Sesame
 Street character.
     "We are thrilled to team up with Del Monte Foods, a company with a long
 history of providing quality foods to families in the US, to offer
 vegetables featuring the Sesame Street characters," said Maura Regan, Vice
 President and General Manager of Global Licensing, Sesame Workshop. "Our
 Healthy Habits for Life initiative harnesses the power of Sesame Street to
 make health and well-being crucial to the development of young children in
 much the same way it has done with learning to read and write."
     About Sesame Workshop
     Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit educational organization making a
 meaningful difference in the lives of children around the world. Founded in
 1968, the Workshop changed television forever with the legendary Sesame
 Street. Today, the Workshop continues to innovate on behalf of children in
 120 countries, using its proprietary research methodology to ensure its
 programs and products are engaging and enriching. Sesame Workshop is behind
 award-winning programs like Dragon Tales, Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat,
 Pinky Dinky Doo and groundbreaking multimedia productions in South Africa,
 Egypt and Russia. As a nonprofit, Sesame Workshop puts the proceeds it
 receives from sales of Sesame Street, Dragon Tales, Sagwa, and Pinky
 products back into its educational projects for children around the world.
 Find the Workshop online at http://www.sesameworkshop.org.
     About Del Monte Foods
     Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest and most well known
 producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded and
 private label food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating
 over $3 billion in net sales in fiscal 2005. With a powerful portfolio of
 brands including Del Monte(R), Contadina(R), StarKist(R), S&W(R), College
 Inn(R), 9Lives(R), Meow Mix(R), Kibbles 'n Bits(R), Pup-Peroni(R),
 Snausages(R), Pounce(R) and Meaty Bone(R), Del Monte products are found in
 nine out of ten American households. For more information on Del Monte
 Foods Company (NYSE:  DLM), visit the Company's website at
 http://www.delmonte.com.
     Del Monte. Nourishing Families. Enriching Lives.
 
 

SOURCE Del Monte Foods