WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Feb. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Del Monte Foods, Inc. has been recognized across three categories as 2020 Product of the Year winners: Veggieful Veggie Bowls™ in the convenience meals category, Fruit Crunch Parfait™ in the snack cups category, and Contadina® Pizzettas in the frozen snack category. As one of the original plant-based food companies, Del Monte Foods has always stood by its mission in making fruits and vegetables accessible to everyone and is proud to see the momentum growing from past Product of the Year recognition of their Fruit & Oats™ in 2019 and Fruit Refreshers™ in 2017.
Product of the Year is the world's largest consumer-voted award for product innovation with this year seeing the largest number of participants to date. Winners are determined by the votes of 40,000 consumers in a nationally representative survey conducted by research partner Kantar, a global leader in consumer research. This year marked the 12th year of the award in the U.S. and more than 30 years globally.
Receiving top honors for Product of the Year in the convenience meals category, Veggieful Veggie Bowls™ feature a blend of veggies, whole grains, and a savory sauce for a wholesome snack or meal. Coming in four flavors— Roasted Red Pepper, Asian Style Soy Sesame, Southwest Style Corn and Garlic Herb—each bowl includes one full serving of vegetables.
In the snack cup category, non-dairy, coconut-based, Fruit Crunch Parfait™ makes for a delicious and sweet snack, coming in four flavors: Strawberry, Blueberry, Mango and Pineapple Coconut. Each parfait contains 1 full serving of fruit and 2 billion probiotics per serving to support digestive health as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
Contadina® Pizzettas, awarded in the frozen snack category, offer one full serving of vegetables in every five bites and feature a blend of Roma tomato sauce, real cheese, and a crust baked with real cauliflower. These delicious, authentic pizza snacks can be purchased in three flavorful selections: Four Cheese, Margherita, and Garden Vegetable and do not contain artificial preservatives or flavors.
"We couldn't be more proud to see three of our products honored this year," said Bibie Wu, Chief Marketing Officer, Del Monte Foods. "To be selected as winner within a brand new category like frozen snacks is very exciting and demonstrates the strength of our R&D and Innovation teams."
"At Del Monte Foods, we're on a mission to bring people accessible and great-tasting nutrition through the goodness of fruits and vegetables," said Greg Longstreet, President and CEO, Del Monte Foods. "It is fantastic to see that these new products are already becoming people's favorites."
A family-favorite for generations, Del Monte continues to innovate, creating not only delicious, but nutritious products that fit into every lifestyle and budget. As Del Monte Foods evolves their offerings, the brand expects to see more products come to market that will drive excitement from consumers across the nation.
For more information and to locate a store partner near you, visit www.delmonte.com.
About Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods, Inc. is one of the largest producers, distributors, and marketers of premium quality, branded food products for the U.S. retail market. Our brands include Del Monte®, Contadina®, College Inn®, and S&W®.
Del Monte Foods has a legacy of innovation and providing accessible nutrition to the American public, making it an iconic brand for over a century. In recent years, Del Monte Foods has been innovating from within, leveraging their history as one of the original plant-based food companies, their size and structure to transform their business and expand their product portfolio.
Del Monte Foods is the U.S. subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Limited (Bloomberg: DELM SP, DELM PM) and is not affiliated with certain other Del Monte companies around the world, including Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., Del Monte Canada, or Del Monte Asia Pte. Ltd. For more information on Del Monte Foods, visit www.delmontefoods.com.
About Product of the Year
Product of the Year is the world's largest consumer-voted award for product innovation. Established over 30 years ago, POY currently operates in over 40 countries with the same purpose: Guide consumers to the best products in their market and reward manufacturers for quality and innovation. Product of the Year winners are backed by the votes of 40,000 consumers in a national representative study conducted by research partner Kantar, a global leader in consumer research. The award is a powerful merchandising program for marketers proven to increase product sales, distribution and awareness. Winning products are announced in February each year and receive the right to use the Product of the Year logo in marketing communications for two years. For more information, visit productoftheyearusa.com.
About Kantar:
Kantar is the world's leading marketing data, insight and consultancy company. We know more about how people live, feel, shop, vote, watch and post worldwide than any other company. Working across the entire sales and marketing lifecycle, we help brands uncover growth in an extraordinary world. Kantar is part of WPP and its services are employed by over half of the Fortune 500 companies in 100 countries.
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SOURCE Del Monte Foods
