Monday, January 19, 2009

Teen Music Phenomenon, the Jonas Brothers, and Health Advocate Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, Launch Breakfast BREAKS for ESE Foods

Teen Music Phenomenon, the Jonas Brothers, and Health Advocate Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, Launch Breakfast BREAKS for ESE Foods

New retail product based on school breakfast kit being served to hundreds of thousands of students nationwide

Woodbury, NY (PRWEB) January 31, 2008

ESE Foods, a division of East Side Entrées, announced that it has enlisted teen music phenomenon, the Jonas Brothers, and wellness advocate Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, as spokespeople for the national launch of Breakfast BREAKS, a nutritious grab-and-go breakfast kit for children. Modeled after the popular breakfast kit that East Side Entrees provides to federally funded School Breakfast Programs throughout the country, the retail version of Breakfast BREAKS was launched in January and is currently available at major retailers nationwide.

The Breakfast BREAKS launch campaign aims to promote the retail product while also raising awareness about the importance of serving children a nutritious breakfast. Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast perform better in school and have overall better health than those who skip breakfast. Both the Jonas Brothers and the Duchess will be featured on a new version of the Breakfast BREAKS box which will appear on shelves in February.

"We're on the road a lot and need to stay energized so we know how important breakfast is to starting the day," said Kevin Jonas on behalf of his brothers, Joe and Nick. "We're excited to bring this message to kids across the country and let them know that Breakfast BREAKS is an awesome product."

ESE Foods has created an unexpected synergy with the country's hottest pop music sensation and the Duchess of York so that kids and moms alike can be excited to learn about the benefits of eating a nutritious breakfast. The spokespeople will help to establish Breakfast BREAKS as the quick and convenient way for busy families to serve breakfast through a series of national and local events and initiatives taking place throughout the year.

"I am excited about supporting the launch of Breakfast BREAKS because it is a product that offers busy parents a sensible solution for serving their children a nutritious breakfast," said the Duchess of York. "We know a good breakfast gives children what they need to learn and grow. We also know that too many children today are skipping or skimping on breakfast, so I want to get behind breakfast as a wellness issue while also urging parents to make the most of their children's breakfast time," she said.

The retail version of Breakfast BREAKS is sold in a convenient single-serve box that contains a Bowl PackTM cereal from General Mills (NYSE:GIS), a 100% fruit juice box from Minute Maid®, a division of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), a nutritious snack and utensils. Each box has a handle and easy-to-open flip-up lid so that Breakfast BREAKS can be eaten at home or on-the-go. The retail version has a suggested retail price of $2.49 and is available in an array of kid-friendly varieties, including Cheerios®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Lucky Charms®.

The Jonas Brothers - three siblings from New Jersey whose musical success has catapulted them into the mainstream entertainment consciousness - were selected as spokespeople because of their wide appeal with children and tweens. The Duchess of York was selected because she is a role model for many mothers as well as a respected health and children's advocate. ESE Foods is working closely with GMR Entertainment who initiated and negotiated both partnerships and is assisting in managing the strategy for the launch.

"In devising our launch campaign it was critical to us that it reach a number of distinct audiences who have reason to know about Breakfast BREAKS," said Gary A. Davis, CEO, East Side Entrées. "We know our celebrity spokespeople will be incredibly successful at raising awareness of the importance of breakfast while also bringing attention to virtues of the Breakfast BREAKS product," he said.

A portion of the proceeds from product sales will be donated to the Sarah Ferguson Foundation, which supports education, health and anti-hunger projects worldwide. Reflecting her expanding commitment to health advocacy, the Duchess recently established the Solutions from the Heart seal to recognize innovative products and resources that promote a healthy lifestyle. In January, Breakfast BREAKS was awarded the seal. 

Breakfast BREAKS Awareness Campaign
The Jonas Brothers and the Duchess will be involved in a range of activities that will reach children, mothers and foodservice directors. Each activity will communicate the importance of eating a nutritious breakfast and demonstrate why Breakfast BREAKS is a convenient and healthy breakfast solution.

In the first quarter of 2008 the Jonas Brothers will make a major announcement about a national online contest with Breakfast BREAKS. ESE Foods will highlight the product through a television commercial featuring the entire Jonas family, which will air on ABC Kids Block, Discovery Kids and E! Entertainment. Also a print and online advertising campaign featuring the Jonas Brothers will appear in Nick, Family Fun and Working Mother magazines and on the Family Fun and various Disney websites.

Drawing on her own experience as the mother of two daughters, the Duchess conceived her own "Ten Precious Minutes" campaign for ESE Foods, which encourages parents to reclaim breakfast as quality time better used for nurturing children in mind, body and soul. A mirror campaign directed at educators and school foodservice professionals includes a three-part series of print advertorials for influential trade publications written by the Duchess. She will also host an online chat for school foodservice directors about the positive trends in federally funded School Breakfast Programs, and in early March the Duchess will kick off a media campaign during National School Breakfast Week to highlight the success of School Breakfast Programs and to encourage public action on behalf of the millions of American children who qualify for free breakfast but do not currently receive it.

Breakfast BREAKS History
In 2005, ESE Foods' parent company, East Side Entrées, developed Breakfast BREAKS for schools in response to the startling fact that millions of children across America who are eligible for a free or reduced-price breakfast through the national School Breakfast Program were still not receiving them. Out of 55 million children who attend school in the United States, 30 million eat federally funded lunch at school, yet only 9.6 million eat federally funded breakfast.

The school version of Breakfast BREAKS was an instant hit, helping thousands of schools overcome obstacles that prevented them from serving breakfast because the kits required no heating or refrigeration, could be served quickly with little staffing and contained quality branded products that kids love to eat. In its first year alone, Breakfast BREAKS were purchased by schools in more than 40 states, helping them serve hundreds of thousands of kids a nutritious breakfast. The product's success also led East Side Entrées to develop Meal BREAKS and Snack BREAKS products specifically so foodservice directors and community sites could access more kids and increase participation in other federal programs like the Summer Food Program.

Similar to the retail version, the school brand of Breakfast BREAKS are boxed meals that include a Bowl PackTM cereal, a serving of 100% fruit juice and a snack. The school version comes in 12 different varieties, including a line of Gold Star Breakfast BREAKS that exceed USDA nutritional guidelines in terms of low cholesterol levels and percentage of calories from fat and saturated fat. Both the Jonas Brothers and Ferguson will represent the school brand of Breakfast BREAKS in addition to the retail version.

In response to an overwhelming request from parents to have the Breakfast BREAKS product available for home use, the company developed the new retail version. Breakfast BREAKS is just another in a long series of successful products developed by East Side Entrées, which has been a leading supplier of nutritious food products to America's children since 1998. The company works with registered dietitians and leading nutritionists to create delicious and nutritious products geared specifically to children. Breakfast BREAKS is packaged in bright, colorful grab-and-go boxes that include fun activities and health and wellness messaging geared toward kids.

About ESE Foods
ESE Foods is a subsidiary of East Side Entrées of Woodbury, New York, which specializes in developing and marketing nutritious, kid-friendly products to the school foodservice and retail markets. Breakfast BREAKS was designed to eliminate the traditional barriers to serving breakfast to children. To learn more about Breakfast BREAKS, go to www. breakfastbreaks. com.

Cheerios®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios® and Lucky Charms® are registered trademarks of General Mills used with permission.

©2007 The Coca-Cola Company. "Minute Maid" is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company used under license.

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