Green Giant(TM) Veggie Blend-Ins(TM) and Jessica Seinfeld Team Up on a Great Way to #VegOut

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Moms have been after their kids for years. Doctors, nutritionists, the government and gurus hound us but still, most Americans don't eat enough vegetables. A recent Centers for Disease Control study shows no U.S. state is meeting the objectives for vegetable consumption.¹ Now, Green Giant™ is introducing a simple solution: NEW Green Giant™ Veggie Blend-Ins™ 100% Carrot Puree, 100% Spinach Puree and 100% Butternut Squash Puree.

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Green Giant Veggie Blend-Ins are 100 percent vegetable purees – no additives or preservatives – making it easy and delicious to blend veggies into almost any meal, plus power-packed smoothies and baked goods such as cupcakes and brownies.

Green Giant Veggie Blend-Ins have partnered with the #1 New York Times best-selling author Jessica Seinfeld to launch the 100% vegetable purees. In her book, Deceptively Delicious, Seinfeld writes about making her family's favorite meals better for them by adding homemade vegetable purees.

"As much as I love to puree my own vegetables, let's face it, we are all short on time. Between shopping, cleaning, peeling, steaming and then pureeing, I needed a short cut. That's why I am so thrilled that Green Giant has done the work for us," Seinfeld said. "Veggie Blend-Ins are my new quick fix, go-to when I'm in a time crunch... they're so easy to blend into almost anything and add an extra dose of goodness where it didn't exist before."

Green Giant Veggie Blend-Ins are easy to use: Simply pour and blend the purees into whatever it is you're making.

"When Green Giant and I started working on this, my own family and friends served as our test kitchen," Seinfeld added. "The recipes and smoothies are simple, delicious and make it much easier to #VegOut."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, veggies should make up about 30 percent of every meal.² It's no secret, however, that the majority of Americans don't dish up the recommended amount. The 2013 Centers for Disease Control State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables showed adults in the U.S. are serving themselves vegetables only 1.6 times per day. Residents in Iowa, for example, said they ate vegetables slightly more than once a day; and Oregonians on average said they were eating vegetables almost twice a day. Residents in all other states reported eating fruits and vegetables at levels equal to or between those ranges.

"Studies show there is significant room for improvement in vegetable consumption, and Green Giant Veggie Blend-Ins deliver a solution that is so easy. Just add them to your go-to favorite foods, and feel better about making your foods better. It's truly a habit worth starting, " said Polly Madsen, Green Giant Veggie Blend-Ins marketing manager. "We're so excited to partner with Jessica on this because she's so passionate about the product and showing people how easy and great it is to use."

A box of nine 4-ounce Veggie Blend-Ins pouches sells for $14.06 on Amazon. Consumers can purchase a variety box which includes three pouches each of 100 percent carrot puree, 100 percent spinach puree and 100 percent butternut squash puree; or a box containing nine pouches of the same vegetable.

About General Mills
General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2013 worldwide sales of US $17.8 billion.

About Jessica Seinfeld 
Jessica Seinfeld is the author of three New York Times best-selling cookbooks, Deceptively Delicious, Double Delicious, and The Can't Cook Book. She is the Founder and President of Baby Buggy, a non-profit organization that delivers donations of new and gently-used baby gear and children's clothing to America's most vulnerable families. Since its founding in 2001, Baby Buggy has donated more than 5.7 million essential items to hundreds of thousands of children in need. As an author, Jessica has sold over 2 million cookbooks since 2007. Her third book, The Can't Cook Book – Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified, was released on October 8, 2013. Jessica lives in Manhattan with her husband, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and their three children: daughter Sascha and sons Julian and Shepherd, and two Dachshunds.

[1] 2013 Centers for Disease Control State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables

[2] U.S. Department of Agriculture, MyPlate

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/65725-general-mills-green-giant-veggie-blend-ins-jessica-seinfeld-vegout-purees

SOURCE Green Giant