How Italians and Americans Really Eat: the "Mangia Mindset"

People think they need to travel thousands of miles for an authentic Italian meal, but the secret is just as much about how you eat, as what you eat.

This year, Bertolli is encouraging Americans to "Mangia" – in other words – eat like Italians do – especially during National Pasta Month this October. To coincide with the launch of its reformulated meals, featuring simpler ingredients and a more recipe-like ingredient list, the brand surveyed Italians and Americans to compare their beliefs, attitudes and perceptions surrounding food.

The difference is clear: in Italy, every meal is an experience:

- Italians are over two times more likely to set the table and eat family-style and three times more likely to have wine with their meals than Americans. [1]

- When it comes to the food on their plates, Italians eat a lot more pasta. One-quarter of Italians eat pasta on a daily basis, compared to just two percent of Americans.[2]

To help bring these findings to life, Bertolli is partnering with an Italian-American family that successfully blends the cultures and cuisines: Italian-born Giuliana Rancic and her husband Bill Rancic.

"After marrying Giuliana, I truly embraced Italian culture and eating has become an experience rather than a moment," said Bill Rancic, restauranteur. "No matter how busy our schedules are, we always make it a priority to sit down as a family and Mangia."

The couple will share their first-hand observations on the differences between Italian and American eating and share advice on bringing Mangia home:

Mangia is a philosophy and about taking time out from a busy day to enjoy a delicious meal. This can be done alone, or while connecting with family and friends. Creating a Mangia experience can be as simple as setting the table, lighting some candles and eating family-style.

If you want to spend a night at home, Bertolli provides a restaurant-quality meal. To personalize it, add a handful of red pepper flakes or chop some fresh basil. Better yet, buy a basil plant for your kitchen.

"Growing up in Naples, Mangia was one of the first words I ever heard and is a value I've embraced with my family," said Giuliana Rancic, restauranteur and lifestyle expert. "To me, the spirit of Mangia is about sharing stories with family and friends over a great meal."

Bertolli is proudly introducing a completely reformulated line of meals that feature a recipe-like, simple ingredient list and new packaging that offers a look inside the bag. In an effort to be even more transparent, Bertolli is going beyond simplifying its ingredients and adding a see-through window to the package to give people a sneak peek at what's inside the bag – premium ingredients, like crushed tomatoes, authentic Italian cheeses and al dente pasta. The reformulated meals with new packaging will be available in retailers nationwide by the end of October, including a new Family-Size offering.

"The new Bertolli reformulated meals reflect the growing desire for convenient meals featuring high-quality ingredients and a cleaner ingredient label," says David Koehler, associate brand manager, Bertolli meals. "We are passionate about providing simple ways to eat like Italians do, including crafting each meal from real, simple ingredients."

So this National Pasta Month, set the table, gather friends or family and Mangia with Bertolli. For more Mangia inspiration, visit BertolliMangia.com.

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About ConAgra

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America's leading packaged food companies with recognized brands such as Marie Callender's®, Healthy Choice®, Slim Jim®, Hebrew National®, Orville Redenbacher's®, Peter Pan®, Reddi-wip®, PAM®, Snack Pack®, Banquet®, Chef Boyardee®, Egg Beaters®, Hunt's® and many other ConAgra Foods brands found in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at http://www.conagrafoods.com.

Bertolli® is a registered trademark of R&B Foods, Inc., used under license.

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[1] These results are from an online survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Bertolli of over 2,000 nationally representative individuals in the United States and Italy. The U.S. survey of 1,074 individuals was conducted between July 28-29, 2016. The Italy survey of 1,013 individuals was conducted from July 29-August 4, 2016. The margin of error in each country is +/-3.1%. Statistics are based on adults answering 'Always' or 'Often' in regards to how often they do each of the following during their largest meal of the day: Set the table prior to eating (US: 35%, Italy: 83%), eat family style (US: 31%, Italy: 70%), drink wine with their meal (US: 9%, Italy: 28%).

[2] See footnote [1] for study details. Statistics are based on adults answering "every day" to how often they eat pasta (US: 2%, Italy: 25%).