Annie's Ushers in 2011 'Year of the Rabbit' With New Product Offerings; Deeper Commitment to Connecting Families With Real Food

NAPA, Calif., Jan. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Good news for Bernie, Annie's mascot and Rabbit of Approval, and consumers nationwide: February 3, 2011 officially marks the start of "Year of the Rabbit." According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Rabbit signifies a year of calm, thoughtfulness, giving and persistence.

Annie's, the leading provider of natural and organic pasta meals, snacks, salad dressings and condiments, will embrace these traits as it kicks off a new year filled with product launches, ingredient improvements, initiatives that connect families with real food, and a move to new corporate headquarters.  

"As Annie's moves into the Year of the Rabbit, we're thinking about how we can continue nourishing busy families who crave convenient, delicious food made with real ingredients," said John Foraker, Annie's CEO. "We are energized by continually evolving our company to meet the needs of our consumers. We constantly push ourselves to improve our products, programs and positive impact on our world, and look forward to reaching even more families in 2011."

Year of the Rabbit: New Product Introductions, Innovations

Annie's will expand its snack and pasta offerings and enter new product categories in 2011. Among the first of these introductions is a new line of Organic Granola Bars in three delicious flavors – Peanutty, Chocolate Chipper and Berry Berry – hitting store shelves nationwide in January.  Kid-friendly Organic Pretzel Bunnies in Original, Honey Wheat and Spelt varieties, also debut early this winter. Next, new Gingersnap and SnickerDoodle Gluten Free Bunny Cookies, available in February, offer a sweet treat for those following gluten-free diets.  

In addition to new product offerings, Annie's continually strives to enhance the quality of existing offerings. Some specific changes in the Year of the Rabbit include:

• Sodium Reduction: Annie's continues to "lower the bar" on sodium and will reduce sodium in its products by another 15% over the next five years. More than 85% of Annie's products already meet the sodium guidelines established by the National Salt Reduction Initiative without making any formula changes.   
• rBST-Free Milk Ingredients:  Annie's organic products have always been free of synthetic hormones, and the company has always been committed to sourcing as much all-natural, rBST-free milk as possible. In 2011, Annie's will be able to source all milk ingredients from cows not treated with synthetic growth hormones.
• Cocoa: Annie's has reformulated its chocolate cookies and cereal to use a cocoa that gives the chocolate products more of a mild, milk chocolate color and flavor.  
• More Organic Products: In 1998, Annie's became the first brand to offer organic mac & cheese; the company continues to increase its offerings of organic products. In 2010, 87% of Annie's products were made with organic ingredients, and Annie's has more than doubled the number of products it makes with organic ingredients over the past five years. Annie's is committed to continued growth of organic ingredients to reduce the amount of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in the food supply and minimize the exposure of farmers and their families to these harmful chemicals.  

Year of the Rabbit: Real Food Initiatives

Annie's is dedicated to supporting organic farmers across the country through use of organic ingredients. Over the past five years, Annie's has used more than 71 million pounds of organic ingredients. In 2010, Annie's organic wheat purchases alone equated to the average yield of approximately 11,000 acres of organic wheat. Organic farming helps to build healthy soils, clean waterways, increase drought and flood resistance and conserve biodiversity.

To support the next generation of organic farmers, Annie's will award $75,000 in Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship funds in 2011. Since the scholarship program was founded in 2000, Annie's has contributed more than $300,000 in scholarships to students studying organic agriculture and environmental sciences.

In 2011, Annie's will also further its work connecting kids directly with real food. Root 4 Kids, a new cause-related initiative, aims to inspire 1 million kids nationwide to dig and plant new vegetables. Launched in September 2010, more than 70,000 families have joined the movement to date, helping to foster a new generation of veggie-loving kids. Additionally, 150 school gardens will receive funding this year through Annie's Grants for Gardens program, allowing more kids direct access to lessons about real food.  

Year of the Rabbit: Growing Sustainably

Annie's business remains strong, with annual sales up 15% over each of the past five years, and a 25% increase in 2010. To support continued company growth, Annie's is relocating its corporate headquarters to Berkeley in spring 2011. The space is being built out to meet LEED certification standards and will feature reclaimed furniture, natural light and eco-friendly finishes throughout.  In addition, a parking lot will be turned into a green space with organic garden beds.   

About Annie's Homegrown

Annie's Homegrown offers delicious, all-natural and organic alternatives to traditional comfort foods and snacks. Since Annie Withey created her first box of mac & cheese in 1989, Annie's has been dedicated to delivering great-tasting, easy-to-prepare products that are healthy for people and the planet. Today the portfolio includes pasta meals, crackers, grahams, cereals and fruit snacks made with straight-from-nature ingredients. Annie's products are available nationwide at major grocery stores, natural food stores, mass retailers and club stores. For more information, visit www.Annies.com. Annie's is also on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/annieshomegrown) and Twitter (@annieshomegrown).  

SOURCE Annie's, Inc.