Kraft + Cadbury = Chocolate-Covered Pizza?

MAKER OF DIGIORNO BUYS CHOCOLATE COMPANY

Chocolate covered pizza? Well, that would seem to be the case with the news that Kraft, the maker of the popular DiGiorno frozen pizzas, has acquired Cadbury, the well-known UK-based chocolate company. Kraft already owns a whole slew of meat and cheese products under its various Kraft and Oscar Mayer brands, not to mention all the Nabisco cracker and cookie brands like Oreo.

My guess is that some bright young thing in marketing (they tend to call them “brand managers”) at Kraft Corporate HQ will come up with the brilliant idea of slopping some cheap form of chocolate on your everyday frozen pizza and then get all kinds of kudos from his or her higher ups for “thinking out of the box” and creating a “win-win” situation. They would probably call it DiChoco, or perhaps give a little more panache and brand it “DiChioco.”

But, not to worry food shoppers! Kraft has sold off its entire pizza operation to fund this purchase of England’s beloved chocolate company, so the threat of this pizza-chocolate abomination is stanched. Kraft has sold the frozen pizza business to Nestle, another global food giant, which makes Lean Cuisine and Stouffer’s frozen dinners and entrees.

The $3.7 billion deal includes the DiGiorno, Tombstone and Jack’s pizza brands, the California Pizza Kitchen trademark license, manufacturing facilities and other assets. Kraft says it will transfer 3,400 employees to Nestle. Last year the Kraft pizza business generated an estimated $1.6 billion. Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld says proceeds from the pizza business sale was applied to the Cadbury acquisition, which was reported to have cost Kraft $19.6 billion.

Smart Shopping with Artisan Creations

SMART ONES INTRODUCES GRILLED FLATBREADS AND STONE-FIRED PIZZAS


Winter got you down? Tired of that same-old, same-old lunch and dinner fare? Has your New Year’s resolution gone south already?

Fear not. The folks who make Weight Watchers Smart Ones have introduced Artisan Creations Grilled Flatbreads and Stone-Fired Pizzas to liven up those dreary mealtimes.

Officials at H.J. Heinz Co. in Pittsburgh--longtime makers of Smart Ones frozen food items--say the Artisan Creations Grilled Flatbreads are “a delicious line of authentic, flavorful and ‘crave-able’ better-for-you lunch time sandwiches.”

The flatbreads feature real grill marks and can be prepared in the microwave in just a few minutes. Each flatbread a Weight Watchers Points value of 6, 6-8 grams of fat, and 310 calories or less. Suggested retail price is $3.29.

The four flavors of Grilled Flatbreads are:

* Chicken Marinara: grilled white meat chicken, fire-roasted bell peppers, onions and reduced fat mozzarella cheese topped with marinara sauce on a flatbread.

* Savory Steak and Ranch: flatbread of seasoned steak, fire-roasted green bell peppers, onions, and reduced fat mozzarella cheese with a creamy ranch sauce on a flatbread.

* Southwestern Style Chicken Fiesta: grilled white meat chicken, a blend of reduced fat cheeses and fire-roasted vegetables complemented by a roasted red bell pepper sauce.

* Chicken Bruschetta: grilled white meat chicken, tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers and reduced fat mozzarella cheese with a creamy roasted garlic sauce on a flatbread.

Heinz says Artisan Creations Stone-Fired Pizzas offer the “same taste you get at the local pizzeria with only a fraction of the calories.” The individual-size pizzas are made with extra virgin olive oil and cooked on a granite stone for a light, oven-baked flavor and crunch right out of the microwave.” Each of the three pizza flavors has a Weight Watchers Points value of 7 or 8, and “are better for you than regular pizzeria slices,” says Heinz.

The three flavors of Stone-Fired Pizzas are:

* Pepperoni: tangy tomato sauce topped with reduced fat mozzarella cheese on a stone-fired crust.

* Four Cheese: a blend of reduced fat mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses covered in a zesty tomato sauce.

* Fajita Chicken: grilled white meat fajita chicken, fire roasted vegetables and poblanos topped with cheese and sauce for a nice kick.

(Ed. note: a poblano is a heart-shaped, green chile pepper from Puebla, Mexico, and has a mild taste.)

Suggested retail price for each pizza slice is $2.22.

For more information about these and other Smart Ones products made by Heinz, visit www.eatyourbest.com.