The Schwan Food Company Announces Ingredient Simplicity Commitments

Removal of four ingredient groups underway

BLOOMINGTON, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The
Schwan Food Company is proud to announce today a commitment to
eliminating four ingredient groups from its broad food portfolio with
the goal of making foods with more familiar ingredients. This initiative
to simplify ingredient lists is part of Schwan’s longtime work to evolve
its foods to meet the health and wellness expectations of consumers.

The company is committing to eliminate the following ingredient groups
from the food made by its Schwan’s Global Supply Chain, Inc. subsidiary:

• Partially hydrogenated oils and artificial trans fats. The
  company eliminated added trans fats from the vast majority of foods
  leading up to 2007. It has committed to eliminating partially
  hydrogenated oils — a source of trans fats — in all foods by the end
  of 2015.
• Artificial (certified) dyes. The company has committed to
  removing artificial dyes from all foods by the end of 2015.
• High-fructose corn syrup. The company has set a goal to
  eliminate high-fructose corn syrup by the end of 2016.
• Artificial flavors. The company has set a goal to eliminate
  artificial flavors by the end of 2017.

These changes are being made while maintaining consumer expectations for
taste and quality.

“As a frozen-food leader, we are committed to offering quality foods
made with the same recognizable ingredients you would find in your
pantry,” said Dimitrios Smyrnios, CEO of The
Schwan Food Company. “We are working to eliminate artificial trans
fats, partially hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and
artificial flavors and dyes over the next two years, and we will
continue to evaluate our ingredient lists to ensure we are satisfying
consumer expectations.”

The ingredient simplicity initiative is a continuation of the company’s
focus on providing food that meet a variety of consumer needs, including
certified gluten free, certified organic, no sugar added, low sodium,
low calorie, vegetarian and heart-healthy options that are already
available in its broad portfolio.

“Consumer satisfaction and overall experience with our food is of the
utmost importance to our company and employees,” said Stacey Fowler,
senior vice president of Product Innovation and Development at The
Schwan Food Company. “Our team is hard at work to deliver foods that
are free from unfamiliar ingredients and provide consumers with a great
experience.”

The commitment announced today is to eliminate these ingredient groups
from Schwan-branded foods sold by every subsidiary of The Schwan Food
Company, including Schwan’s Home Service, Inc., Schwan’s Consumer
Brands, Inc. and Schwan’s Food Service, Inc.

About The Schwan Food Company
The Schwan Food Company is a
privately held business that manufactures and markets quality foods
through home-delivery, retail-grocery and food-service channels. Its
many popular brands include Red Baron^®, Tony’s^®,
Bon Appétit^® and Freschetta^® pizza, Mrs.
Smith’s^® and Edwards^® desserts, Pagoda^®
snacks and appetizers, and Schwan’s^® fine frozen
foods. Based in Minnesota for 63 years, the company’s subsidiaries
employ 13,000 people in the United States. To learn more about Schwan,
visit us at www.theschwanfoodcompany.com.

To learn more, click the following link: TSFC
Simplicity Initiative Fact Sheet

Contacts

The Schwan Food Company
Chuck Blomberg, 507-537-8550
chuck.blomberg@schwans.com