Progresso Survey Shows Americans Warming up to Comfort Foods; Respondents Say Hearty, Flavorful Foods Provide Familiarity and Satisfaction.

Lifestyle Editors/Business Editors

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 11, 2004

With cold temperatures holding the nation in winter's icy grip, a survey underwritten by Progresso(R) Rich & Hearty Soup reveals Americans continue to warm up with comfort food - turning to rich, satisfying flavors that provide hearty goodness.

Conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, the survey reveals that nearly a third of Americans (32 percent) rank steak and potatoes as their favorite comfort food, with traditional favorites following close behind: chicken noodle soup (20 percent), mashed potatoes (18 percent) and pot roast (15 percent) round out the list of most-popular comfort foods.

According to the survey, a significant number of American men might be described as the "steak and potatoes" type. Just over 42 percent of men listed steak and potatoes as their favorite comfort food. Comparatively, women are evenly split between three dishes when asked to pick their favorite comfort food: steak and potatoes (24 percent), chicken noodle soup (23 percent) and mashed potatoes (22 percent). In general, the top comfort foods by overall response were steak and potatoes (32 percent) and chicken noodle soup (20 percent).

What do you eat when dining alone? According to the survey, nearly half of all men (47 percent) say they most often prepare a sandwich when eating dinner alone, compared to 35 percent of women. Compared to men, women who dine alone are likely to choose soup. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of women said they most often prepare "a bowl of soup" when eating dinner alone, compared to 14 percent of men.

When it comes to eating soup, a popular cold-weather comfort food, Americans overwhelmingly say they're "sippers," or soup lovers who put spoon to lips and quietly sip. Forty-one percent of respondents said "sipper" best describes their soup personality. Not surprisingly, more women than men prefer the soup-sipping technique. Fifty percent of women said "sipper" describes their soup personality, compared to just 32 percent of men.

Men are apparently more active soup eaters, with 25 percent of men indicating that they're "gulpers," or soup lovers who put spoon to mouth and enthusiastically swallow. In comparison, just 14 percent of women own up to being gulpers. Other soup personalities included: "muggers," who prefer to drink their soup from a mug (14 percent); "bowl tippers," who lift their bowl to the lips and drink (12 percent); and "slurpers," who put their soup spoon to the lips and make an audible slurp (7 percent).

Progresso's newest ready-to-serve signature line, Rich & Hearty soup, offers consumers a new way to enjoy comfort food flavors. Featuring an abundance of satisfying, high-quality ingredients, the soups feature lean beef, all-white meat chicken, Italian flat beans and baby pearl onions, all blended with distinctive seasonings and simmered in a thick, rich broth.

Opinion Research Corporation fielded the Progresso Soup comfort foods telephone survey. A national probability sample of 1,082 adults 18 years of age and older, living in private households in the United States, was interviewed. The margin of error is plus/minus 3 percent.

Progresso is a brand of General Mills, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Included in the U.S. portfolio are some of the nation's most popular brands, including Cheerios, Wheaties and other Big G cereal brands; Colombo; Yoplait; Pop Secret; Totino's; and Progresso. The company's global brand portfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant and Old El Paso.