ConAgra Foods Survey - Seals & Standards of Quality Give Grocery Shoppers Confidence; Consumers Increasingly Seek Trust Marks as Signs of Better Food; Consumer Trend towards Trust Marks: Organic and Kosher Trust Marks ''Seal the Deal'' More Than Ever.

CHICAGO -- "What's In Store" FMI consumer survey shows few know Dietary Guidelines, but they know whole grains

In the beginning there was Kosher. Then came Organic. Now MyPyramid.com. As fad diets and quick fixes fall from favor, more Americans are seeking ways to improve their eating habits with balanced, sensible solutions. But deciphering the right food choices isn't always easy, and too-busy lives and confusing nutrition information can leave people scratching their heads in the grocery aisles. To determine what they should consider "better food," many consumers are turning to trusted seals, standards and symbols of higher quality - indeed, more than nine in 10 Americans today consider trust marks to some degree when shopping.

A new "What's In Store" survey of consumer shopping habits commissioned by ConAgra Foods confirms this trend(a):

--Fully 95 percent of Americans say they would consider quality symbols, seals & trust marks when food shopping.

--Four times as many survey respondents said they are more likely to consider buying foods based on trust marks today than they were a year ago, compared to only a quarter as many who said less likely.

--While many symbols are present in the market today, the top eight trust marks consumers look for are: WHOLE GRAINS, HEART-HEALTHY, ZERO GRAMS TRANS-FAT, LOW SODIUM, NATURAL, DIETARY GUIDELINES, ORGANIC & KOSHER.

"Consumers are telling us they're looking for food choices that are more nutritious, along with great-tasting and convenient, but they want help in identifying what's good for them," said Debbie Carosella, vice president, Strategic Marketing, ConAgra Foods Consumer Foods. "We're trying to help by working with retailers to simplify people's shopping experience, and by putting appropriate quality seals on products meeting specific standards related to the new Dietary Guidelines - such as 'heart-healthy' for Healthy Choice, and 'made with 100 percent whole grains, 0g trans fat' on Orville Redenbacher's and ACT II popcorn.

"Interestingly, we're also seeing more mainstream shoppers ask for the quality, freshness and purity assurance they get from the Kosher seal on our Hebrew National(R) products and certified organic seals on our Hunt's(R) Organic canned tomatoes, Orville Redenbacher's(R) Organic Butter popcorn and now PAM(R) Organic cooking spray," said Carosella.

New Dietary Guidelines

The increased attention consumers are paying toward quality seals comes one year after the release of the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid food guide, which outlines a more personalized approach for healthful eating. While more individually tailored, the redesigned MyPyramid - which removes many of the standard "do's & don'ts" of fad diets and has multiple nutrition profiles to match different individual nutrition needs - is more challenging for some consumers, heightening demand for other easy ways to identify foods that are good for you.

But while the new Dietary Guidelines may not be as cut and dry as the previous recommendations for healthful eating, its individual standards are gaining considerable currency among consumers looking for seals, standards to guide their search for good-for-you, good-to-eat foods. The "What's In Store" consumer survey bears this out:

--While only 30 percent of Americans said they would consider the Dietary Guidelines when shopping for more healthful foods, almost double that number (54 percent) said they'd look for an indication that the food was a 'whole grain,' which is one of the top Dietary Guideline recommendations.

--The survey reflected consumer recognition of other key tenets of the Guidelines recommendations, such as eating for heart health (50 percent), reducing or eliminating trans fat (43 percent) and minimizing sodium (40 percent). So while many Americans may not know the Dietary Guidelines per se, they do seek ways to follow key standards advocated for good health.

Food companies such as ConAgra Foods have responded to consumers' need to easily identify healthful foods by flagging the nutritional benefits on packaging. Flags denoting whole-grain servings and zero grams of trans fat can be found on packaging for the new Healthy Choice Flour with Ultragrain(R) and Orville Redenbacher's and ACT II popcorn. The new Guidelines have also increased relevance for products such as the Healthy Choice line that helps consumers meet good nutrition recommendations for lean proteins, lower sodium and increased vegetables.

Organic Remains Front and Center

In addition to Dietary Guideline standards, market research confirms growing interest among American food shoppers for certified organic and Kosher seals that have long traditions of their own, going back thousands of years in the case of Kosher. For organic, a survey commissioned by Hunt's Organic(1) reports that nearly one in four Americans find organic labeling helpful, especially if certified by the USDA, in providing an additional assurance of quality and peace of mind when making choices to purchase "good foods" to serve their families.

The trend to consume organic products is clearly going mainstream, and retailers can expect more consumers to look for the trusted "certified organic" seal in the years to come. Indeed, sales in the organic canned tomato category have doubled in the last four years. According to the Organic Trade Association, the overall organic food industry was worth $10.4 billion in 2003, and the market has grown 17 to 21 percent each year since 1997(2).

To meet growing consumer demand for organic, ConAgra Foods is offering organic varieties for top brand favorites:

--PAM(R) Organic - This July, PAM cooking spray is introducing PAM Organic, a certified organic cooking spray available in two varieties - PAM Organic Canola Oil and PAM Organic Olive Oil.

--Hunt's(R) Organic - Hunt's rolled out six new organic canned tomato products nationwide in January 2006, including diced, crushed and whole tomatoes, as well as two pasta sauces in traditional and roasted garlic.

--Orville Redenbacher's(R) Smart Pop!(R) Organic Popcorn - Orville Redenbacher's(R) rolled out a certified Organic Butter and Smart Pop!(R) Organic Butter to stores nationwide in January-March 2006.

For many, Kosher is the New Organic

The Kosher trend is also gaining momentum as more people come to understand the quality connection associated with the Kosher seal - which certifies both high-quality ingredients and processes that meet strict Kosher standards. More than one in 10 Americans in the "What's In Store" survey recognized the Kosher quality seal as something they would consider when making quality food-purchasing decisions.

For retailers, the correlation between increased consumer interest in the Kosher category and the success of the organic movement is noteworthy. Many consumers find similar appeal for product attributes in both the Kosher and organic categories, as motivations for choosing Kosher - such as quality and purity of ingredients, and adherence to strict standards during manufacturing - are closely akin to the driving motivations behind the strong organic trend. For consumers, Kosher and organic products satisfy the need for better, higher quality foods.

Food products such as premium Hebrew National(R) Kosher Beef franks, made with 100 percent Kosher quality beef with no artificial colors, flavors or by-products, have shown unprecedented growth and demand in recent years. The Kosher frank continues to gain mainstream market acceptance, moving from a niche product to one with national appeal. ConAgra Foods intends to position the brand to further accelerate the growing demand for Hebrew National franks, enhancing in-store marketing efforts to more clearly identity and highlight the benefits of Kosher.

About ConAgra Foods

ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's largest packaged food companies, serving grocery retailers, as well as restaurants and other foodservice establishments. Popular ConAgra Foods consumer brands include: Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, and many others. For more information, visit www.conagrafoods.com.

(a) The survey was conducted by Ipsos U.S. Express on behalf of ConAgra Foods among a nationally representative sample of 1,023 American adults from April 25-27, 2006. The margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.

(1) Survey conducted by Greenfield Online for Hunt's Organic with a representative sample of 1,130 Americans in December 2005, +/- 3 percent margin of error.

(2) Organic Trade Association