U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for November 26

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26: TV DINNERS

Profile America — Friday, November 26th.  On the day after Thanksgiving, cooks face a perennial problem — what to do with the leftover turkey?  The individual homeowner's problem is nothing like that facing the Swanson Company in 1953.  Overestimating the need for Thanksgiving turkeys, the firm found itself with over a half million pounds of unsold turkey.  A salesman named Gerry Thomas saved the day.  He modified an airline food tray into three compartments, filled it with a turkey dinner and suggested tying the idea to the nation's latest craze — television.  And so the TV dinner was born.  Much more sophisticated frozen dinners are today a supermarket staple.  Making frozen food is more than a $12.5 billion annual business.  Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources:  www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/tvdinner.html

               Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 953

               2002 Economic Census, NAICS 311412

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau