BUITONI® Riserva Complete Meals for Two Voted Product of the Year in Specialty Foods Category by Consumers

SOLON, Ohio, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Last night, the 2011 Product of the Year Awards Ceremony recognized the year's most innovative products, including BUITONI® Riserva Complete Meals for Two. Consumers recently participated in a nationwide survey of product innovation to ultimately name the complete meals the Product of the Year* in the specialty foods category.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110209/SF45402)

To help celebrate its rich Italian history and tradition, BUITONI® added the new line of frozen complete meals for two to its already popular line of refrigerated Italian pastas and sauces. BUITONI® Riserva Complete Meals for Two deliver high quality, all-natural authentic Italian ingredients, like tender sweet Italian sausage, fresh-roasted Portabello mushrooms, custom ricotta, and imported Pecorino Romano cheeses. Time-honored culinary techniques bring out the integrity and flavor of these carefully selected ingredients. Premium pasta pillows are overstuffed, noodles are thin and delicate, and perfectly paired sauces enhance the natural flavors.

"At Buitoni we live and breathe an artisanal philosophy of food – taking simple, nutritious ingredients and artfully combining them for an extraordinary meal," said Brigid Gilmore, Director of Marketing for BUITONI®. "We're honored to be recognized by consumers as an innovative leader in the specialty foods category!"

Pair any of the BUITONI® Riserva Complete Meals for Two with a simple salad and favorite wine for an easy, yet extraordinary Italian meal. The result is an exceptional dish you'll want to savor. Look for the following products, available in the frozen section of grocery stores nationwide:

• Shrimp and Lobster Ravioli With Garlic Butter Sauce (22 oz., SRP $9.99): Sweet and succulent wild lobster from the North Atlantic is combined with shrimp, and custom impastata ricotta cheese in freshly made ravioli, and is finished with a drizzle of the lightest Garlic Butter Sauce.
• Chicken & Mushroom Ravioli with Marsala Wine Sauce (22 oz., SRP $8.99): Freshly made ravioli filled with oven roasted white meat chicken, fresh roasted portobello mushrooms and a blend of custom impastata ricotta, fontina, aged Parmesan and provolone cheeses. A Marsala Wine Sauce simmered with portobellos completes the dish.
• Four Cheese & Spinach Ravioli with Tomato Basil Sauce (26 oz., SRP $8.99): A custom impastata ricotta cheese combined with aged Parmesan, imported Pecorino Romano, Asiago and fontina cheeses and freshly picked spinach. The rich cheeses are nestled inside our freshly made ravioli and topped with a Tomato Basil Sauce made from vine-ripened tomatoes, basil and fresh-roasted garlic.
• Braised Beef & Sausage Ravioli with Creamy Marinara Sauce (24 oz., SRP $8.99): Ravioli filled with only premium, natural beef and a unique blend of sweet Italian sausage, aged Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and sweet carrots. This special ravioli is topped with a simple, Creamy Marinara Sauce made with vine-ripened tomatoes, light cream and Parmesan cheese.
• Grilled Chicken & Spinach Cannelloni with Alfredo Sauce (22 oz., SRP $8.99): Freshly made semolina flour cannelloni is filled with grilled natural white meat chicken, spinach and custom impastata ricotta, fontina, aged Parmesan, imported Pecorino Romano and Asiago cheeses. Baked until golden and topped with a decadent Alfredo Sauce.
• Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce – (22 oz., SRP $8.99): Freshly made ravioli is filled with oven roasted butternut squash, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses combined with brown sugar and a touch of amaretti cookie. A Brown Butter Sage sauce–a light white wine and butter-based sauce spiced with nutmeg—perfectly complements the ravioli.
• Grilled Vegetable & Goat Cheese Agnolotti with White Wine Sauce – (22 oz., SRP $8.99): Grilled asparagus, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, onions, summer squash and fire roasted tomatoes are folded into a blend of ricotta, goat and aged Parmesan cheeses to fill our freshly made agnolotti. This is topped with a White Wine Sauce, a mellow sauce of vegetable broth with white wine and roasted garlic.

Product of the Year is the world's largest consumer-voted program that recognizes innovation in consumer packaged goods. More than 60,000 shoppers nationwide judge products on elements of innovation such as ingredients, form, function and design. Winning items are selected from a variety of categories including food, beverage and personal care, representing the best new products in the marketplace.

For additional information about BUITONI^® Riserva Complete Meals for Two, please email [email protected]. For more information on or high resolution images of the Product of the Year USA winners for 2011, please visit www.productoftheyearusa.com.

*2011 Winner, Specialty Foods Category. Survey of 60,493 people by TNS.

About Nestle USA

Named one of "The World's Most Admired Food Companies" in Fortune magazine for thirteen consecutive years, Nestle provides quality brands and products that bring flavor to life every day.  From nutritious meals with Lean Cuisine® to baking traditions with Nestle® Toll House®, Nestle USA makes delicious, convenient, and nutritious food and beverage products that enrich the very experience of life itself.  That's what "Nestle. Good Food, Good Life" is all about.  Well-known Nestle brands include: Nestle® Toll House®, Nestle® Nesquik®, Nestle® Coffee-mate®, Stouffer's®, Lean Cuisine®, HOT POCKETS® and LEAN POCKETS® brand sandwiches, Nescafe®, Nescafe® Taster's Choice®, NESTLE® Juicy Juice®, Buitoni®, DREYER'S/EDY'S®, Nestle® Crunch®, Nestle® Butterfinger®, Wonka®, DIGIORNO®, TOMBSTONE® and CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN® frozen pizza. Nestle USA, with 2009 sales of $10.4 billion, is part of Nestle S.A. in Vevey, Switzerland — the world's largest food company with a commitment to Nutrition, Health & Wellness — with 2009 sales of $99 billion.  For product news and information, visit Nestleusa.com or NestleNewsroom.com.

All trademarks are owned by Societe des Produits Nestle S.A., Vevey, Switzerland.

About Product of the Year:

Product of the Year is the only consumer product award that rewards innovation and is voted on by real consumers. Established 24 years ago in France, POY currently operates in 28 countries with the same purpose: Guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation. Backed by the votes of 60,000 consumers, the distinct red POY logo serves as shortcut for shoppers in the supermarket, saving them time and money. For manufacturers of the winning products, the award is a powerful marketing message proven to increase retail distribution and sales by an average of 10-15%. Product of the Year accepts entries every year from consumer packaged goods that demonstrate innovation and were launched within the previous year. Entered products are then placed into specific categories such as food, beverages, personal care, household care, etc. with a product then being chosen as a winner in its category through a nationally representative online study. For more information visit www.productoftheyearusa.com.

SOURCE Nestle USA