Beech-Nut Launches 'Advancing Nutrition'

CHICAGO, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation launched "Beech-Nut(R) Advancing Nutrition(TM)", a pledge to provide the most nutritious foods to support the healthy development of infants and toddlers, at the American Dietetic Association's Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo here today.

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The company outlined its commitment to deliver leading-edge products, including "all natural" foods that are free of added sugars, fillers and other undesired ingredients that are often added to infant and toddler foods. The new "Beech-Nut Advancing Nutrition" initiative involves new product innovations and nutrition education, including a unique labeling initiative to help parents easily identify nutrition information in each product and link to the food groups in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid. Beech-Nut's commitment to product innovations includes seeking out new ways to enhance foods with additional nutrients to support a child's healthy growth and development.

"Today's progressive moms have the highest expectations for the food they serve their children," said Christoph Rudolf, president and CEO of Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation. "If they're not making their own baby food, they want something that's as close as possible to homemade. We're dedicated to delivering products that are natural, free of fillers and artificial ingredients and have value-added benefits, from DHA omega-3s to whole grains."

Nutrition Leadership

This new Beech-Nut pledge is consistent with the company's demonstrated leadership in infant nutrition. The company was the first to introduce DHA-omega 3 and prebiotics to infant foods and created a first-of-its kind line of Good Morning and Good Evening Baby food that provides the right nutrition at the right time of the day.

The latest advancement is a new line of toddler food called "Let's Grow!"(TM) that features the No Junk Promise(TM). These innovative new foods for children aged 1-3 years offer the best possible nutrition without the added junk that many food manufacturers, even infant and toddler food manufacturers, include in their products, including: high fructose corn syrup, excessive sodium and added refined sugar.

The "Beech-Nut Advancing Nutrition" pledge involves strict standards for infant and toddler food, including the following three pillars:

-- All natural: all natural ingredients, no added sugar, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives, no trans fats, no modified starches, and no harsh spices.

-- Essential nutrition: A balanced ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats for optimum nutrition, along with the enrichment of vitamins and minerals as needed for healthy development.

-- Proactive nutrition: Enhanced benefits to support learning, growth, brain and eye development, and digestive health, including nutrients such as DHA omega-3 and prebiotics.

Nutrition Education

The Beech-Nut Institute for Infant Nutrition has a mission of researching science and educating on Nutrition. It is supported by an Advisory Board composed of leaders in the fields of pediatric nutrition research, food science, infant and toddler dietetics, and pediatrics. They advise Beech-Nut on new developments in nutrition and the best practices for feeding infants and toddlers.

Part of the Beech-Nut Advancing Nutrition pledge involves nutrition education, including a unique labeling program that uses color-coded food groups on the front-of-packages that match the USDA food pyramid. The announcement by Beech-Nut coincides with the release of the new USDA MyPyramid for Preschoolers, which is intended to help parents of preschool-aged children to make better food choices. The new labeling program from Beech-Nut will help support this goal and will assist parents in making healthy selections for their children.

About Beech-Nut

Since 1931, Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation has been built on a history of innovation and dedication to infant nutrition. Headquartered in Latham, New York, Beech-Nut is the number two leading baby food brand in the United States and is committed to deliver more nutritious choices for parents and babies. As a subsidiary of Hero Group of Lenzburg, Switzerland, a global leader in consumer goods and infant feeding, Beech-Nut is able to combine resources to continuously improve food and nutrition for infants.

For information contact: Niky Roberts, 314.552.6721 Nrroberts@webershandwick.com Ann Balsamo, 314.552.6723 Abalsamo@webershandwick.com

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CONTACT: Niky Roberts, +1-314-552-6721, Nrroberts@webershandwick.com , or
Ann Balsamo, +1-314-552-6723, Abalsamo@webershandwick.com , both for
Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation