Sara Lee Gathers Influential Moms for Back-to-School Nutrition Summit

Sara Lee Gathers Influential Moms for Back-to-School Nutrition Summit

Top Mom Bloggers Join Sara Lee Soft & Smooth to Help Educate America’s Moms about Whole Grain Nutrition through Social Media

Sara Lee North American Fresh Bakery, makers of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth, the best-selling bread brand in the country, brought 13 of America’s influential mom bloggers to the Kitchens of Sara Lee for the first ever Sara Lee® Soft & Smooth™ Back-to-School Nutrition Summit.  Moms were gathered to share insights on family-friendly nutrition and experts shared advice on how to quickly and easily prepare great-tasting lunches while incorporating whole grain nutrition, all aimed at making back-to-school easier for America’s moms.

“Sara Lee went straight to the source to understand the nutrition challenges moms are having when sending their kids back to school, especially when it comes to the ongoing confusion that exists in the bread aisle,” said Tim Zimmer, vice president, Sara Lee North American Fresh Bakery.  “Each mom blogger had great ideas to help us educate America’s moms when it comes to differentiating between traditional wheat and 100% whole wheat breads and moving white bread families to newer versions with whole grain.”

As moms across the country gear up for another back-to-school season, Sara Lee is aiming to equip them with an arsenal of ways to incorporate great taste and nutrition into their kids’ lunches.  During the summit, moms and experts worked together to develop key tips to send kids back-to-school with taste and nutrition in mind.  Key tips include:

Instant Pot Whole Chicken Recipe

* Make food fun by engaging kids in the kitchen.  Participating in the process of creating lunch encourages kids to eat it.  Place photos of healthy food options on the fridge as part of a food group collage and have kids pick one item from each food group for a well-rounded lunch.

* Pack lunches in fun, easy to transport containers such as bento boxes. The boxes allow for simple portion control and are a unique, reusable option to brown bags.

* Organize the night before by preparing lunches, packing backpacks and having easy, wholesome breakfast foods on hand to take the madness out of the morning routine.

* Make lunch components functional.  Freeze individual yogurt packs, whole grain peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or a handful of grapes to double as a cold pack and a nutritious treat.

* Include fun games and jokes in your child’s lunchbox such as Sudoku, comic strips and knock-knock jokes.

* Get your kids involved at the grocery store to prepare for lunches that week. Challenge kids to pick fruits and vegetables that match their favorite colors for more nutritious lunch making options.

“We’ve been investing in educating moms about whole grain nutrition for years, but this is the first time we’ve been able to actually meet with them one-on-one, engage them in dialogue, learn from them and work with them to help us share our message more impactfully,” said Zimmer.  “What we learned at this summit will help us be a better, more viable and approachable resource to moms.”

Registered Dietitian, Connie Diekman, educated the mom bloggers on the benefits of whole grain and guided them through a mock bread aisle to help them sort through the clutter and confusion.  Moms gained the knowledge needed to quickly differentiate 100% whole wheat breads from traditional wheat breads – something Diekman stated is a key part of improving family nutrition.

“The amount of whole grains the average person consumes is drastically lower than the recommended daily amount of 48 grams and what is needed for good health,” said Diekman.  “Understanding what makes bread 100% whole wheat can be confusing, but by simply learning how to identify whole grain products, moms can easily begin taking the steps to incorporate whole grains into a child’s diet.”

To help find healthy back-to-school lunch solutions, summit participants took part in a lunchtime nutrition challenge to create a complete sandwich-based lunch that had to taste great, be nutrition-packed and loved by kids.  A secret panel of kid judges put the moms’ lunches to the test to ensure the lunch was kid-friendly.  In addition, the lunch was judged by a dietitian for balance and for the best combination of items from all food groups.

“The Sassy Smoothie” mom blogger team won “best overall” with their “Inside Out Lunch” and is featured on the Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Facebook page.  The “Inside Out Lunch” included a reverse, or inside out, sandwich made with ham, turkey, cheese, spinach and avocado that was then wrapped around a flattened piece of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread.  The lunch also included a variety of vegetables with dip, fruit salad and a trail mix comprised of pretzels, almonds and cranberries.

“Mom bloggers are the perfect audience to help pinpoint challenges faced when sending kids back-to-school,” said Amy Clark, founder of the online community for parents, MomAdvice.com.  “Being able to join with Sara Lee to share insights, while having access to expert advice, is a great way to help our readers better prepare.  If you want something done right it’s best to go straight to the source and this summit gives us valuable and practical information that moms really need.”

Bloggers in attendance included: Amanda Acuna of Mommy Mandy, Amy Lupold Bair of Resourceful Mommy, Louise Bishop of MomStart, Amy Clark of MomAdvice, Stacie Connerty of Divine Miss Mommy, Stacy DeBroff of Mom Central, Tanya Gordon of Mommy Goggles, Amber Johnson of Mile High Mamas, Miranda Kuskie of Keeper of the Cheerios, Kathy Peel of Parent Dish, Kristina Sauerwein of MOMformation, Melissa Summers of Suburban Bliss and Tara Ziegmont of Feels Like Home.

For more information on the Sara Lee Soft & Smooth bread line, the Soft & Smooth Back-to-School Nutrition Summit and whole grain nutrition search for Sara Lee Soft & Smooth on Facebook.  Consumers can also learn more about Sara Lee products at www.thejoyofeating.com.  You can follow us on Twitter @SaraLeeSummit or #SaraLeeSummit.

Please visit http://pitch.pe/19136 for a full online press release with additional information and images from the event.

About Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Bread

Products included in the Soft & Smooth bread and bun lines are: Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Honey Whole Wheat Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Honey Made with Whole Grain White Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Hamburger and Hotdog Buns, and Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Wheat Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns Made with Whole Grain.

About Sara Lee Corporation

Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of consumers and customers around the world.  The company has one of the world's best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and trusted food, beverage, household and body care brands, including Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Sara Lee, and Senseo.  Collectively, these brands generate more than $13 billion in annual net sales covering approximately 200 countries.  The Sara Lee community consists of 44,000 employees worldwide.  Please visit www.saralee.com for the latest news and in-depth information about Sara Lee and its brands.