RAGÚ® CELEBRATES NATIONAL LASAGNA DAY WITH DEBUT OF NEW RAGÚ® KETTLE COOKED SAUCES AND TEAMS UP WITH LASAGNA LOVE TO PROVIDE MEALS FOR COMMUNITIES IN NEED

New sauces from the makers of RAGÚ Pasta Sauces start with premium ingredients slow simmered for a rich and savory homemade taste

MOUNT PROSPECT, Ill., July 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for National Lasagna Day celebrations on July 29th, iconic sauce brand RAGÚ^® is launching its new line of RAGU^® Kettle Cooked sauces and has teamed up again with global nonprofit and grassroots movement Lasagna Love to help fight hunger and spread kindness in local communities. This year, RAGÚ is partnering with Lasagna Love's local chefs and volunteers in four major metro areas (Detroit, Pittsburgh, Houston and Paramus, NJ) to prepare and deliver delicious homemade lasagnas for local community members in need.

Home-cooked meals are the ultimate expression of love and new RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces make it easier than ever to create delicious meals that taste like you spent all day cooking. This year, the RAGÚ brand has partnered with Lasagna Love to provide RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces to Lasagna Love local volunteers in four markets to help them prepare hundreds of lasagnas to be delivered to families in need.

"We are very excited to partner with Lasagna Love again this year to support their mission to help communities nationwide," said Megan Frank, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Mizkan America, Inc., the maker of RAGÚ. "We believe 'homemade' doesn't have to mean spending all day in the kitchen, new RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces offer a smart shortcut with a rich and savory homemade taste that makes mealtime even easier."

Made with premium ingredients like crushed tomato, basil, oregano and fresh garlic, new RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces start with slow-simmering in large kettles. The result is an elevated sauce quality and flavor that makes it easier to create homemade meals without all the time and effort of cooking from scratch. Featuring three delicious flavors including Marinara, Roasted Garlic and Tomato Basil, RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces can be used to create a versatile range of dishes, including pasta, soups, dips and much more. RAGÚ's Kettle Cooked sauces are Non-GMO Project Verified with NO added sugar. In July, RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauce will be available in a 24-ounce jar at select retailers across the U.S., including Meijer and Kroger stores. Beginning in August, the new sauce will be expanding availability and available at additional national retail stores, including Target. Visit www.RAGU.com for lasagna recipes and more recipe inspiration.

Lasagna Love is celebrating National Lasagna Day through a calendar of activities that include live-stream events with guest chefs and social-media influencers, local-level events where delicious homemade lasagnas will be delivered to homeless shelters, retirement homes, food banks and more. In 2022, Lasagna Love set out to deliver 10,000 lasagnas, enlist 1,000 new volunteers and raise $100,000 on National Lasagna Day. This year, volunteers will be working towards the goal of breaking last year's records for the most volunteer lasagnas ever made on National Lasagna Day.

"Lasagna is so much more than just a meal to us. For us, it's a symbol of goodwill and kindness and opportunity to deliver a home-cooked dish with love and respect and help strengthen the bonds between communities, friends and families," said Rhiannon Menn, founder of Lasagna Love. "With over 45,000 volunteers in all 50 states, we're proud of the work our community volunteers have done and are honored to partner with RAGÚ to inspire more people to join our mission of serving others."

Sign up to learn more about Lasagna Love and how to get involved at www.lasagnalove.org.

About Lasagna Love

Lasagna Love is a community-impact program that connects neighbors through gestures of kindness, goodwill and support. The nonprofit has joined together more than 35,000 volunteers from around the world and abides by three simple principles: feed families, spread kindness and strengthen communities. Lasagna Love fosters a culture of positivity, empathy, zero judgment and maintains a steadfast resolve to deliver comfort when needed most. Lasagna Love volunteers share a seminal purpose: exist to assist. To learn more about Lasagna Love and how you can get involved, visit www.lasagnalove.org or our social channels, @WeAreLasagnaLove (Instagram and Facebook).

About The RAGÚ^® Brand

The RAGÚ^® brand was founded in 1937 by Assunta and Giovani Cantisano and their sauce was originally sold from their home in Rochester, New York. Assunta carried her family's recipe from Italy when she immigrated to New York in 1914, and it has now been enjoyed by American families for over 85 years. With a wide selection of sauce varieties ranging from the beloved Old-World Style to the Chunky line, cheese sauces, Simply and new RAGÚ Kettle Cooked sauces, RAGÚ empowers anyone to "Cook Like a Mother" regardless of gender or culinary skill. Today, RAGÚ sauce is the go-to pasta sauce for families coming together to share a quick and delicious meal and an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to "Cook Like a Mother" in the kitchen. For the very latest news, recipes and more from the RAGÚ brand, please check out the brand at www.RAGÚ.com. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and TikTok.

About Mizkan America, Inc.

Based in Mount Prospect, IL, Mizkan America, Inc., is a subsidiary of the Mizkan Group, a global, family-owned company that has been Bringing Flavor To Life™ for almost 220  years. As one of the leading makers of condiments and sauces in the United States, Mizkan America maintains 12 manufacturing facilities that serve the retail, foodservice, specialty Asian and food-ingredient trade channels. Since 2005, Mizkan America has seen dramatic growth and their portfolio now includes a wide variety of vinegars, Italian and Asian sauces, cooking wines, wine reductions, sushi seasoning and salad dressings. Mizkan America brands include: RAGÚ^®, Bertolli^®, Cucina Moderna^®, Holland House^®, Nakano^®, Mizkan^® Four Monks® and Barengo^®. Mizkan America is also the exclusive distributor/sales agent for Angostura^® Bitters in North America. For more information, go to www.Mizkan.com.

About The Mizkan Group

The Mizkan Group is a privately held, international food manufacturer, headquartered in Handa City, Japan, with a heritage that spans almost 220 years. Always guided by the company's Two Principles (Offer customers only the finest products; and Continuously challenge the status quo), the Mizkan Group offers a line-up of well-known international brands under the Mizkan umbrella and is a leader in the liquid-condiment category. The Mizkan Group has operating facilities around the globe in places including Japan, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. More information about the Mizkan Group can be found at: www.mizkanholdings.com/en/.

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Media Contacts:
Candace Corner  |  RAGÚ^®
[email protected]
(216) 965-6848

Richard Ray |  Lasagna Love
richard@hawthornestrategy.com
(312) 720-7194

SOURCE RAGÚ