Top Chef Michael Chiarello Serves Up Tips for Families Craving Quick Yet Authentic Italian Meals at Home

Marie Callender`s® Pasta al Dente Extends Top-Selling Line of Steamed Frozen
Entrées with Four Robust New Varieties that Bring the Taste of Italy to the
Table in Less Than Five Minutes
OMAHA, Neb.--(Business Wire)--
American palates have been enamored with the tastes and flavors of Italian meals
for years. In fact, when asked to name their favorite ethnic cuisine, American
consumers have consistently named "Italian" as one of the top choices, according
to the Institute of Food Technologistsi. Marie Callender`s knows that an
authentic Italian meal requires more than simply putting pasta on a plate so
just in time for National Pasta Month, the brand has teamed up with
award-winning Italian-American chef, Food Network host and Top ChefMasters
contestant Michael Chiarello to help Americans create a full, authentic Italian
dining experience at home.

A recent survey revealed that seven out of 10 Americans have a taste for
authentic, home-cooked Italian meals, but nearly half don`t have the time or
energy to prepare oneii. Now, busy consumers desiring a taste of Italy can enjoy
a variety of bona fide Italian meals that are both fresh and flavorful - from
the freezer, to the microwave, to the table in less than five minutes with the
popular new Marie Callender`s Pasta al Dente line from ConAgra Foods. Marie
Callender`s, which launched the line with six meals in March, is introducing
four new varieties.

"Whether you`re preparing a homemade Italian meal from scratch or enjoying the
convenience of Marie Callender`s Pasta al Dente varieties, a few simple tricks
can transform your home into the Italian countryside for an evening," said
Chiarello. "Gourmet hors d'oeuvres, colorful sides, a mouthwatering entrée,
decadent desserts, wines and lots of ambiance can really round out the Italian
experience." With that in mind, Chiarello offers these tips to help consumers
fully experience the Italian meal:

* Match the shape of the pasta to the texture of the sauce. A smooth sauce is
great with long, thin noodles while chunkier sauces are perfect with a hollow
noodle.
* Cooking your pasta "al dente," or firm, is a must for authentic Italian meals.
Always cooked to perfection, with the right textures to hold their sauces, such
dishes as Chicken Carbonaracan be a daily delight.
* Think beyond the meal. Set the mood with Italian music, such as Pavarotti, and
serve wine in casual tumblers, along with your Tortellini Romano.
* When pressed for time, try steaming your pasta in the microwave and heating
the sauce separately. Then, when you have extra time, make the sauce by hand and
savor the experience!
* Family-style antipasti on oversized rustic platters add to the flavor of the
experience around your table. For classic and simple antipasti platters, start
with a variety of easy-to-find cured meats, Italian cheeses, marinated
vegetables and olives, and tomato steaks.
* Serve your bread hot and crispy from the oven, topped with olive oil, sea
salt, and a mixture of ground Parmesan cheese and dried herbs.
* Surround your pasta dishes with foods from your region. Local produce served
in fresh salads, antipasti, and fresh-fruit desserts are the backbone of Cucina
Italiana.

Real Ingredients, Real Flavor; Steamed to Perfection

In recent years, breakthrough innovations have brought consumers back to the
frozen aisle. In fact, according to NPD Group data, sales of frozen foods were
expected to increase by 4.5 percent in 2008 and remain strong throughout the
recession.iii ConAgra Foods saw a major opportunity to deliver a truly
groundbreaking product in the frozen aisle with Marie Callender`s Pasta al
Dente.

"We conducted extensive research prior to launching Marie Callender`s Pasta al
Dente to find out what consumers were looking for in a frozen meal. We learned
they were disappointed in the quality of many frozen pasta meals, which were
often soggy or mushy. Consumers wanted something better, so we created Marie
Callender`s Pasta al Dente to meet that need," said Rob McCutcheon, vice
president and general manager, Marie Callender`s. "We`re so confident that these
meals will shatter consumers` expectations of what frozen meals can be that
we`re backing it up with our Perfect Pasta Promise - your meal steamed perfectly
every time, or your money back."

All Marie Callender`s Pasta al Dente varieties utilize a patented SteamCooker
technology, which separates the ingredients from the sauce with a two-tray,
steam-cooking system that steams the meals in your microwave in five minutes or
less. The innovative technology used to prepare Marie Callender`s Pasta al Dente
entrées is the same method used in Healthy Choice® Café SteamersTM, recognized
as the best-selling new food product in 2008 by Information Resources, Inc.
(IRI).

The line of 10 Marie Callender`s Pasta al Dente meals was developed from classic
Italian recipes and traditions that use fresh Italian herbs and spices and
include:

* (New) Penne Chicken Piccata with lemon and white wine butter sauce, spinach
and capers
* (New) Chicken Carbonara with uncured bacon and peas
* (New) Chicken Pesto Parmesan with Roma tomatoes, broccoli, and Parmesan cheese

* (New) Beef Bolognese Rigatoni with hearty vegetables and rich Parmesan cheese
* Rigatoni Marinara Classico with meatballs and Italian sausage
* Tortellini Romano with fresh basil and real Parmesan cheese
* Penne Garlic Chicken withchunks of artichoke hearts and Roma tomatoes
* Creamy Basil Chicken with crushed pesto and fresh zucchini
* Fettuccini Chicken Balsamic with crimini mushrooms and balsamic vinegar from
Modena, Italy
* Shrimp Rigatoni with shrimp in lobster cream sauce

Marie Callender`s Pasta al Dente meals are available at grocery stores
nationwide with a suggested retail price of $3.49 for a 10- to 11-ounce meal.
For more information about each dish and the Perfect Pasta Promise, visit
www.mariespasta.com.

ABOUT CONAGRA FOODS

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE:CAG) is one of North America's leading food
companies, with brands in 97 percent of America's households. Consumers find
Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's,
Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip and many
ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores.
ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying potato,
other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known
restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more
information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

i Institute of Food Technologists, Sate-of-the-Industry Report: What, When, and
Where America Eats. January, 2006.
http://members.ift.org/NR/rdonlyres/65A7B82E-0AFF-4639-95B2-733B8225D93A/0/0106americaeats.pdf

ii These findings are based on a survey conducted by the Opinion Research
Corporation among a sample of 1,000 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older. The
Caravan Omnibus study is conducted twice a week among a demographically
representative sample of U.S. adults. Interviewing for this survey was completed
April 17-20, 2009. SOURCE ConAgra Foods, Inc.

iii Mintel Oxygen Reports, Mintel Identifies Recession-Proof Food and Drink
Markets. April 2009.
http://www.mintel.com/press-release/Mintel-Identifies-RecessionProof-Food-and-Drink-Markets?id=342

Ketchum
Jacqueline Kohlmann, 312-228-6859
Jacqueline.kohlmann@ketchum.com
or
ConAgra Foods
Sue Burke, 630-857-1347
sue.burke@ketchum.com
www.conagrafoods.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009