EZ Marinader Takes The Bottleneck Out Of Marinating

MARINATING INSIDE FLAVOR-SEAL BAG MEANS GREAT TASTE WITH LESS WORK

PITTSBURGH -- (BusinessWire) May 2003 -- Marinating, already one of the hottest consumer cooking trends under the sun, will really be sizzling this summer with the introduction of EZ Marinader - the country's first ready-to-use liquid marinade in a flavor-seal marinating bag.

 

Quite simply, EZ Marinader takes the bottleneck out of marinating! Now, time-strapped cooks and grillers can make delicious, marinated family meals without bottles, bowls or messes. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! First, open the flavor-seal bag. Next, drop in your favorite meat, poultry, vegetables or fish. Then, reseal the bag and you're ready to grill, bake or saut in as little as 30 minutes. That's it! There's no mess, no fuss, and clean-up is a breeze - just toss away the bag.

 

Flavors to Savor

 

"We believe time-strapped cooks will truly appreciate the convenience of EZ Marinader," said Aaron Schwartz, brand manager for Ketchup, Condiments and Sauces at Heinz North America, the innovators behind EZ Marinader. "And we're confident EZ Marinader's great taste will exceed their family's expectations," he continued. EZ Marinader is available in three mouth-watering flavors - Jack Daniel's Mesquite, Classico Garlic and Herb, and Mr. Yoshida's Teriyaki. The product will be on store shelves across the country in May - just in time for outdoor grilling season. Each 12-ounce bag is large enough to accommodate 2-3 pounds of meat, poultry or similar-sized serving of vegetables - enough to feed a family for four.

 

EZ Marinader comes at a time of rapid growth for the marinade category, which has tripled in size since 1997. Marinades now represent a $150 million retail grocery category.

 

Mad About Marinating

 

EZ Marinader is an innovation inspired by the needs of today's busy consumers. According to a survey conducted by EZ Marinader, Americans are mad about marinades. Nearly all primary household cooks surveyed agreed that marinating adds a lot of flavor to a meal. However, the survey revealed that there were some drawbacks to marinating.

 

For starters, liquid marinade in a bottle requires a separate bowl or pan. But nearly half complained such methods are messy and time consuming, and more than a third considered it a chore at clean-up time. This is where EZ Marinader offers a distinct advantage to the alternatives of preparing a marinated meal from scratch, a mix, or a bottle. By enabling consumers to marinate right in its flavor-seal pouch, EZ Marinader removes the dreaded messy clean-up step.

 

"Now, with EZ Marinader, consumers can have a level of convenience never before experienced in the category," said Schwartz. "By pouring on the flavor while eliminating the mess and clean up, EZ Marinader takes marinating to a whole new level of taste and convenience. Simply put, if you like marinating, you'll love EZ Marinader."

 

From a Name Families Trust

 

EZ Marinader is a new brand from a family food favorite, H.J. Heinz Company. In fact, the debut of EZ Marinader marks the first time Heinz has rolled out an entirely new brand in the United States in more than 20 years, according to Schwartz. But it should come as no surprise that Heinz - the company that brought consumers such recent packaging innovations as Easy Squeeze! ketchup in an upside-down bottle - is behind EZ Marinader.

 

About Heinz

 

H. J. Heinz Company is one of the world's leading processors and marketers of high-quality ketchup, condiments, sauces, meals, soups, snacks and infant foods through all retail and foodservice channels. A host of favorite brands, such as Heinz ketchup, Ore-Ida french fries, Boston Market and Smart Ones meals and Plasmon baby food are the growth drivers in Heinz's two strategic global segments: Meal Enhancers and Meals & Snacks. Heinz's 50 companies have number-one or number-two brands in 200 countries, showcased by the Heinz brand, a global consumer icon with $2.5 billion in annual sales. Fourteen additional brands, each with more than $100 million in annual sales, generate a further $2.6 billion. Information on Heinz is available at www.heinz.com/news.

 

Survey conducted Feb. 12-16, 2003 by ICR, Media, Pa. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.

The trademark Jack Daniel's is used under license to H.J. Heinz Company, L.P.

2003 Jack Daniel's - All Rights Reserved. 2003 H.J. Heinz Company, L.P.

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Produced for Heinz

Contact: Heinz North America
Robin Teets
412.237.3562
robin.teets@hjheinz.com

or

Magnet Communications
Pattie Sullivan
412.456.4706
psullivan@magnet.com