OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Marie Callender's, a brand of ConAgra Foods, announced today that it is stepping out of the freezer case and onto the shelf to bring consumers the taste of a special, home-cooked meal at work, with the launch of Marie Callender's® Home-Style Creations(TM). These microwavable meals can be found in the pasta or soup aisle at grocery stores nationwide and require no refrigeration or freezing, making them a great workday lunch option.

Strapped for time, the majority of Americans (61 percent) take less than one or two hours out of a typical day to indulge in something special, according to a recent omnibus survey. Given the opportunity, nearly a quarter of respondents (24 percent) would most likely choose to treat themselves with a special meal.(1) With new Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations, time-pressed office workers can easily enjoy a hot, delicious, just-like-homemade meal that's ready in minutes. As the name implies, Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations meals capture the homemade flavor Marie Callender's is famous for in a convenient, microwavable meal that stores easily in a pantry or desk.

"Our research tells us that people crave home-cooked meals when they are working or away from home. With new Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations, consumers can treat themselves with an authentic, home-style meal that's ready in minutes straight from their desks," said Laura Flanagan, vice president and general manager, ConAgra Foods. "The meals offer a delicious, everyday lunchtime option for busy, working professionals craving that special touch of home during the day," she added.

Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations feature premium ingredients such as whole beef strips, authentic cheeses, wine reduction sauces and savory herb and spice blends. The meals also utilize the same patented tray-in-tray steaming technology that is found in Healthy Choice® Fresh Mixers(TM), which creates fresh-tasting flavors and textures by separating ingredients during preparation - key to maintaining a homemade taste.

Marie Callender's is raising awareness for its new line of microwavable meals through an advertising campaign with the moniker "A Little Touch of Home for Lunch." The television ads launched on October 5, 2009, and are accompanied by digital media, couponing and in-store signage to reinforce the idea that when people bring Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations to work, they feel like they're eating a home-cooked meal they made themselves.

Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations are available at the suggested retail price of $3.49 each and can be found in the pasta or soup aisle. They are available in six satisfying varieties, including Classic Stroganoff, Creamy Parmesan Chicken, Garlic Herb Chicken, Meatball Lasagna, Sweet Sesame Beef and Traditional Stuffing & Turkey. For more information, please visit www.madewithloveandcare.com.

Marie Callender's® is a brand of ConAgra Foods, Inc. (NYSE: CAG). ConAgra Foods 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.

(1) These findings are based on a phone survey conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation among a sample of 2,000 U.S. adults composed of 1,000 men and 1,000 women 18 years of age and older. Interviewing was completed during the period October 1-5, 2009. Only one interview is conducted per household. The margin of error for a sample of 2,000 is +/- 2 percentage points.

SOURCE ConAgra Foods