Lean Cuisine
 |
 | |
 Microwaved Lean Cuisine tortellini | |
| Product type | Low-calorie frozen food products |
|---|---|
| Owner |
|
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1981 |
| Discontinued | 2023 (Canada only) |
| Related brands | Stouffer's |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Tagline | Do something good for yourself! |
| Website | leancuisine.com |
Lean Cuisine is a brand of frozen entrées and dinners sold in the United States by
Cleveland
.
In February 2023, Nestle Canada announced their intentions to wind down and exit the frozen meals and pizza business in the Canadian market within the next six months.[2] Production and sales in the United States market are not affected by this decision and will continue.[3]
Overview and history
Lean Cuisine was created in 1981 to provide a healthier alternative to Stouffer's frozen meals.[4] It began with ten items and has expanded to include 100+ different meals. The brand name "Lean Cuisine" is considered by the FDA as a nutrient content claim, so all Lean Cuisine items are required to meet the "lean" criteria of less than 10 g fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat, and less than 95 mg cholesterol.[5] Lean Cuisine items are also calorie-controlled, with most items in the 200–300 calorie range, with a minimum of 140 calories and a maximum of 400 calories.[6]
A major competitor of Lean Cuisine is
H. J. Heinz Company, and South Beach Diet,[7] made by Kraft Heinz. There are also a number of store brand competitors, such as Safeway's Eating Right brand,[8] Easy Meals and Optislim.[9]
Lean Cuisine sponsors Susan G. Komen for the Cure[10] and America on the Move.[11]
Varieties
|
Timeline
- 1981 – Brand launched with 10 items and launch communication focuses on "Good tasting entrees at less than 300 calories."
- 1983 – Tagline adopted "You'll love the way it looks on you" and strong demand leads to product shortages and apologies in print ads to consumers
- 1984 – Lean Cuisine 14-day diet plan, free booklet called "On Your Way to Being Lean" and another tagline "It's not just the calories that count, it's the taste"
- 1985 – Product line expanded to 18 items and tagline was "You'll love the taste. And you'll love the way it looks on you"
- 1986 – With competition entering category, tagline was "Only Lean Cuisine tastes like Lean Cuisine"
- 1987 – Product line expanded to 25 items, including shrimp, lamb, and veal items, Tagline "More Satisfaction", and directly targeted Weight Watchers dieters by publishing Weight Watchers exchanges for all items
- 1991 – Launched 11 new items, focused on low fat message, like "98% fat free!"
- 1992 – Launched 8 new items, including Honey Mustard Chicken, which contained a jar of Grey Poupon
- 1993 – Launched 8 more new items, including pot pies and enchilada
- 1995 – Launched Lunch Express- lower price option, eat from the box and tagline "Time to treat yourself right" and "It's not just Lean, it's Cuisine"
- 1996 – Launched Cafe Classics- more restaurant-inspired meals and look
- 1997 – Launched American Favorites- more homestyle classic American dishes
- 1998 – Launched four new Cafe Classics items
- 1999 – Launched Skillet Sensations- bag "kit" meals that cook in a pan
- 2000 – First mention of tagline "Do something good for yourself" in communications
- 2001 – Launch of Zesty Selections items- more spicy, flavorful dishes
- 2002 – Launch of Bowls and Dinnertime Selects
- 2003 – Launch of Asian product lines and pizzas
- 2004 – Launch of Low carb entrees, deep dish pizzas, and tagline "It's not just Lean, it's Cuisine" gone, replaced with "Do Something Good for Yourself"
- 2005 – Launch of Spa Cuisine- whole grain entreés and Dinnertime Selects with dessert
- 2006 – Preservatives eliminated from most (80+) items, launch of Panini sandwiches and Brick Oven style pizzas
- 2007 – Launch of five Spa Cuisine items with twice the vegetables and two additional panini sandwiches
- 2008 – Launch of four Flatbread melts
- 2010 – "The Book of Truth" campaign debuts
- 2018 - Launch of vegan frozen meals[12]
References
- ^ "Simplot gets access to Nestlé's frozen food brands | Australian Food News". www.ausfoodnews.com.au. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
- ^ "Nestlé Canada announces wind down and exit of frozen meals and pizza business".
- ^ Lee, Heidi (1 February 2023). "Nestle to chop, slice and freeze sales of Delissio, Lean Cuisine in Canada". Global News. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "Lean Cuisine from If You Grew Up in the '80s, You'll Definitely Remember These Foods and Drinks Slideshow". The Daily Meal. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
- ^ a b FDA/CFSAN FDA Backgrounder: The Food Label Archived 2006-08-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ LEAN CUISINE Products Archived 2007-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-03-02. Retrieved 2007-03-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Eating Right Reviews : Heat Eat Review : We Review TV Dinners, Frozen Meals, and Microwavable Foods Archived 2007-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ http://easymeals.net.au/
- ^ Susan G. Komen for the Cure Archived 2007-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ America On the Move Archived 2007-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Lean Cuisine Debuts Its First Vegan Frozen Meals". VegNews.com. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lean Cuisine.
