Applegate Introduces HALF TIME®, The First Natural And Organic Lunch Kit

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- You snooze, you lose?  Not necessarily. A new survey shows that many parents (33 percent) would spend their time sleeping if they didn't have to make their kids' lunches in the morning. And with the launch of Applegate HALF TIME, the first lunch kit with natural and organic ingredients, parents can start hitting that snooze button. Savoring a cup of coffee and watching television were the runner-ups on what to do with the bonus time (28 percent).

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Available nationwide at food retailers such as Target, BJ's and Safeway, Applegate HALF TIME combines three of the leading brands in the natural and organic channel: Applegate (natural and organic meats and cheeses), Stonyfield (organic yogurt) and Annie's (organic fruit snacks and crackers) into one convenient kit.

"Our survey showed that parents love the convenience of pre-packed lunch kits, but not necessarily the ingredients," said Neil Leinwand, Applegate senior vice president of marketing, adding that 88 percent of parents surveyed said they thought pre-packed lunch kits were convenient, while 79 percent said they were concerned about the nitrates, preservatives and artificial ingredients in those kits.

"With HALF TIME, parents don't have to compromise between convenience and quality because we're combining the three trusted natural and organic brands that are already in their refrigerators and pantries," said Leinwand. Applegate regularly receives emails and phone calls from consumers asking the company to create a pre-packed lunch kit, he added.

Applegate HALF TIME comes in three varieties, Turkey & Cheese, Ham & Cheese, and Bologna & Cheese. HALF TIME has a suggested retail price of $4.99, and all kits include: Applegate Naturals meats, which have no artificial ingredients or preservatives and are antibiotic free; Applegate American cheese; made with no added hormones; Stonyfield YoKids Squeezers Strawberry Organic Lowfat Yogurt, and Annie's Homegrown Buttery Rich Crackers.  Each kit also contains either Annie's Bunny Graham Friends or Annie's Organic Berry Patch Fruit Snacks.

More Survey Results

• 76 percent of parents with children at home pack a lunch for their kids
• Morning rush – 71 percent of kids' lunches are assembled in the morning, taking an average of 11 minutes
• Moms are doing most of the work – 71 percent saying they pack all of their kids' lunches compared to 52 percent of dads
• Only 4 percent have kids make their own lunch

About Applegate
For more than 25 years, Applegate has been producing high-quality natural and organic hot dogs, bacon, sausages, deli meats, cheese and frozen products. Natural can mean many things, but when Applegate says their products are natural, consumers are guaranteed that the meat inside is:

• Raised without antibiotics or hormones
• From animals fed a vegetarian or 100% grass diet and treated with humane animal standards
• Free of added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates
• Free of artificial ingredients or preservatives

For more information about our products, visit http://www.applegate.com.

About Annie's
Annie's, Inc. (NYSE: BNNY) is a natural and organic food company that offers great-tasting products in large packaged food categories. Annie's products are made without artificial flavors, synthetic colors, and preservatives regularly used in many conventional packaged foods. Additionally, Annie's sources ingredients so as to avoid synthetic growth hormones and genetically modified food ingredients. Today, Annie's offers over 145 products and is present in over 35,000 retail locations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1989, Annie's is committed to operating in a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable manner. For more information, visit www.annies.com.

About Stonyfield

As the leading organic yogurt maker, we obsess over everything we put into our yogurts and everything we keep out. By saying no to toxic persistent pesticides, artificial hormones, antibiotics and GMOs, Stonyfield has been saying yes to delicious, healthy food for more than 30 years. And we're no less obsessed with our planet's health. To bring more sustainability to the marketplace, we're always looking for more innovative ways to do business. Want to know more? Visit Stonyfield.com, follow us on Twitter.com/stonyfield or find us on Facebook.com/StonyfieldFarm.

Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted using Toluna's On-line Omnibus; interviews were completed on June 26 through June 30, 2014.  The base sample of 2103 respondents is representative of U.S. adults aged 18+ and is balanced on three key demographics: age, sex, and region of the U.S.  From the base sample of U.S. adults the survey screened 752 parents and 500 parents that pack school lunches for their children.

Sample size and margin of error for the base sample and sub-samples are as follows:

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7290151-applegate-introduces-half-time-first-lunch-kit-with-natural-organic-ingredients/

SOURCE Applegate