Survey Finds Millennials Need Help Cooking a Romantic Valentine's Day Meal
Hunt's® Tomatoes and Alexia® Foods partner with Laura Vitale, Host of "Laura in the Kitchen" on YouTube, and Instacart to Create Ideal Valentine's Day In
OMAHA, Neb., Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This Valentine's Day, staying in may be the new going out. According to ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG)'s Dining In Survey, 52 percent of Millennials think cooking at home is more romantic than going out to eat, and over the past three years, a quarter of Millennials have been increasingly cooking at home for the holiday. What to prepare remains a question; 84 percent say they lack recipe ideas for a romantic evening at home.
ConAgra Foods brands including Hunt's(R) tomatoes, Alexia(R) Foods and Reddi-wip(R) are offering Valentine's Day meal ideas through partnerships with Internet cooking show host Laura Vitale ("Laura in the Kitchen") and grocery delivery service Instacart. A true no-fuss meal, Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Potatoes takes only a half hour to prepare and allows cooks to make all ingredients together in the oven. Couples are encouraged to post a picture of their Valentine's Day meal at home using #VDayIn. Additional recipe ideas and inspiration for a romantic Valentine's Day from ConAgra Foods brands can be found at www.forkful.com.
ConAgra Foods brands including Hunt's(R) tomatoes, Alexia(R) Foods and Reddi-wip(R) are offering Valentine's Day meal ideas through partnerships with Internet cooking show host Laura Vitale ("Laura in the Kitchen") and grocery delivery service Instacart. Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers, created on behalf of Hunt's(R) tomatoes and one of Vitale's childhood favorites, is a delicious, simple dish that requires only a handful of ingredients. Couples are encouraged to post a picture of their Valentine's Day meal at home using #VDayIn. Additional recipes and inspiration for a romantic Valentine's Day from ConAgra Foods brands can be found at www.forkful.com.
Taking a cue, ConAgra Foods brands including Hunt's® tomatoes, Alexia® Foods and Reddi-wip® are offering a tempting collection of Valentine's Day meal ideas through partnerships with Internet cooking show host Laura Vitale ("Laura in the Kitchen") and grocery delivery service Instacart. Laura will provide recipe inspiration and instruction via two Valentine's Day recipes and how-to cooking videos posted to her YouTube channel. With one click, consumers can then add ingredients for the recipe to a virtual basket, and Instacart will deliver everything to their door in little as one hour.
"According to our survey, Millennials enjoy the experience of spending Valentine's Day in, but they need some help pulling the meal together," said Brett Groom, ConAgra Foods senior vice president. "Our online partners, 'Laura in the Kitchen' and Instacart, offer an ideal solution for a perfect romantic dinner at home."
According to the survey, 56 percent of Millennials will find their Valentine's Day recipe by either searching on the web or watching an online cooking show. Additionally: - Millennials will look for a recipe that fits a $50-$100 budget. - They want to prepare an Italian dish, saying it's the most romantic cuisine. - Finding a "unique" recipe is the most important criteria for choosing the perfect meal.
Vitale's two Valentine's Day dishes – Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers, created on behalf of Hunt's® tomatoes, and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Potatoes created on behalf of Alexia® Foods – were designed with these budget, cuisine and recipe preferences in mind.
"There's no better romantic gift than creating an intimate, home-cooked meal, and this year, I've created two Italian favorites," said Vitale. "Hunt's® tomatoes add rich flavor to my tasty Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers Dish, and I'm using Alexia® Foods Tri-Cut Potatoes as a delicious accompaniment to my Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs."
Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers, one of Vitale's childhood favorites, is a delicious yet simple dish that requires only a handful of ingredients. The salty pancetta and briny, mild peppers create a unique flavor combination that's intensified by the rich, Hunt's® tomato flavor.
A true no-fuss meal, Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Potatoes takes only a half hour to prepare and allows cooks to make all ingredients together in the oven. This savory dish blends white wine, lemon and garlic, plus it adds a touch of rosemary to the all-natural Alexia® Roasted Tri-Cut Potatoes with Sea Salt, creating a delectable meal with a beautiful presentation.
With just one click, ingredients for Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Potatoes will be available for at-home cooks through Instacart through February 21. Local Instacart Personal Shoppers will hand pick and deliver all recipe ingredients. Instacart's short delivery window ensures that even last-minute planners can still have an enjoyable Valentine's Day.
"Instacart has many Millennial customers, and we know from experience that many prefer to cook from home, even on special occasions – not only to save money but also because it can be healthier choice," said Nilam Ganenthiran, Head of Business Development & Strategy at Instacart – recently named the Most Promising Company in America by Forbes. "We're excited to be part of this innovative ConAgra Foods promotion."
Couples are encouraged to post a picture of their Valentine's Day meal at home using #VDayIn, whether they opt to make Pasta with Pancetta and Cherry Peppers and Lemon Roasted Chicken Thighs with Roasted Potatoes. Additional recipe ideas and inspiration for a romantic Valentine's Day from ConAgra Foods brands can be found at www.forkful.com.
ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies with branded and private branded food found in 99 percent of America's households, as well as a strong commercial foods business serving restaurants and foodservice operations globally. Consumers can find recognized brands such as Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Healthy Choice®, Hebrew National®, Hunt's®, Marie Callender's®, Orville Redenbacher's®, PAM®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, Slim Jim®, Snack Pack® and many other ConAgra Foods brands, along with food sold by ConAgra Foods under private brand labels, in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise, club and drug stores. Additionally, ConAgra Foods supplies frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice, bakery and grain products to commercial and foodservice customers. ConAgra Foods operates ReadySetEat.com, an interactive recipe website that provides consumers with easy dinner recipes and more. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.
ABOUT LAURA IN THE KITCHEN Internet sensation Laura Vitale moved to the United States when she was 12 years old. As a teenager, she developed her love for cooking from her Italian grandmother, learning many of the recipes for classic Italian dishes over the phone. In 2010, Laura began a new phase of her culinary journey when she started her internet cooking series "Laura in the Kitchen." The series quickly became a hit and now boasts an audience of several million, making Laura a well-known name in the cooking community. Laura is the host of 'Simply Laura' on Cooking Channel.
ABOUT INSTACART Instacart allows people to order groceries online by connecting them with a Personal Shopper who handpicks items at customers' local, favorite stores and delivers straight to their doors. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, Instacart has quickly scaled to 15 cities across the US and partnered with more than 50 grocery retailers, including popular national chains (Whole Foods Market, Costco) as well as local, artisan grocers (Fairway Market, Bi-Rite). By combining a personal touch with cutting-edge technology, Instacart offers customers a simple solution to save time and eat fresh food from the grocery brands they trust. Instacart is the only grocery service that can meet today's on-demand lifestyle by delivering in as little as one hour. First delivery is free at www.Instacart.com.
1The survey results quoted in this press release are taken from a survey conducted by The Impulse Research on behalf of ConAgra Foods from late December 31, 2014 to January 6, 2015. The survey was answered by more than 1,000 pre-screened randomly sampled Millennial internet users (ages 18-33) across The Impulse Research's online panel. The average margin of error is +/- 3%."
MEDIA CONTACTS: Erin Hulliberger, Edelman [email protected]; (312) 240-2989 Dan Skinner, ConAgra Foods [email protected]; (630) 857-1508
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