Dunkin' Brands Announces New Additions To Its Nutrition Advisory Board

CANTON, Mass., April 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN), the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, today announced the addition of two new members to its Nutrition Advisory Board.  The new members will join three current Dunkin' Brands Nutrition Advisory Board members to help the Company better understand and anticipate consumer health and wellness trends, while enhancing the nutritional value of menu choices available in its restaurants.

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Formed in 2007, the Nutrition Advisory Board is comprised of experts in the areas of nutrition, health, and balanced and active lifestyles.  This independent group helps guide and assist the Company with research and perspective to aid in the development and reformulation of products that meet the evolving needs of customers while incorporating current nutritional science. This research helps the Company to better understand and anticipate health and wellness trends and incorporate current nutritional science into menu development. Additionally, members of the Nutrition Advisory Board share new developments in nutrition and health-related research that impact Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins products, while ensuring that relevant issues such as menu labeling and the communication of nutritional information remain at the forefront.

Members of the Nutrition Advisory Board

The distinguished members of the Nutrition Advisory Board provide a diverse perspective on the topic of nutrition today.  The newest members include:

• Elizabeth Johnson, M.S., R.D., is Principal and Founder of Food Direction, LLC. She previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Acting Under Secretary of Food Safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  
• Megan A. McCrory, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Nutrition Science and Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. She is an expert on realistic approaches to weight management and healthy living, and her laboratory focuses on eating patterns such as snacking, eating frequency and timing, and dietary variety.

The two new members join the following current members of Dunkin' Brands' Nutrition Advisory Board:

• Caroline Apovian, M.D., FACP, is presently the Director of the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, and author of The Overnight Diet: The Proven Plan for Fast, Permanent Weight Loss.
• Janice Newell Bissex, M.S., R.D., is a nutrition consultant, cookbook author, food blogger, and radio podcast host. She's on a mission to help busy families eat a healthful diet, and her latest cookbook, NO WHINE WITH DINNER: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms, is filled with nutritious recipes even the pickiest eaters love.
• Aryeh D. Stein, M.P.H., Ph.D., is Professor, Hubert Department of Global Health, at The Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, and he serves as the Director of Graduate Studies for the Doctoral Program in Nutrition and Health Science at Emory University.

"We are proud to welcome two new leading experts in the field of nutrition to our Nutrition Advisory Board," said John Costello, President, Global Marketing and Innovation, Dunkin' Brands. "At Dunkin' Brands, listening to our guests and evolving to meet their needs has always been the foundation of our success, and we are committed to our guests' well-being. Our Nutrition Advisory Board plays an important role in helping us stay ahead of health and wellness trends and enhance the nutritional value of our menu choices."

During its tenure, the Nutrition Advisory Board has provided input on a variety of issues and the development of better-for-you products that are easily identifiable on menu boards in-store through the use of the DDSMART® and BRight Choices® logos.  In 2008, Dunkin' Donuts launched its DDSMART menu, which features an array of better-for-you items, many of which have fewer than 400 calories, such as Egg White Flatbread Sandwiches, Wake-Up Wrap® Sandwiches, oatmeal and coffee and espresso beverages. Baskin-Robbins offers BRight Choices, better-for-you light options that include fat free, dairy free, no sugar added and light ice cream offerings, as well as frozen yogurt.

This week, Dunkin' Donuts added the Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich as a permanent addition to the DDSMART menu. A delicious breakfast sandwich option under 400 calories, the new sandwich features a fried egg topped with turkey sausage and a slice of reduced fat cheddar cheese, served on an oven-toasted English Muffin.

About Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. 
With more than 17,500 points of distribution in nearly 60 countries worldwide, Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: DNKN) is one of the world's leading franchisors of quick service restaurants (QSR) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard-serve ice cream. At the end of first quarter 2013, Dunkin' Brands' nearly 100 percent franchised business model included more than 10,500 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and more than 7,000 Baskin-Robbins restaurants. For the full-year 2012, the company had franchisee-reported sales of approximately $8.8 billion. Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. is headquartered in Canton, Mass.

SOURCE Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc.