Slim Jim Asks, Can You Stand the Heat?

New Slim Jim® DARE^TM offers three new flavors on an escalating scale of spicy that beg the question – how hot can you go?

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Slim Jim®, a ConAgra Foods® brand, is turning up the heat and presenting a spicy new challenge for fans of the meat stick – three new flavors that are part of a new line of products called Slim Jim DARE^TM. The spiciness of the flavors escalates from Kinda Hot Chili Pepper to Freakin’ Hot Jalapeno and tops out with Really Freakin’ Hot Habanero.

“DARE presents a challenge to consumers with contemporary and complex flavors,” said Daniel Marple, brand director, ConAgra Foods. “It really is a whole new platform for us – spicier flavors, spicier names and even spicier packaging.”

America’s number one meat stick¹, Slim Jim will continue to bring hot and spicy flavors – the fastest growing flavors in salty snacks² – with plans to extend the DARE line in the future.

Consumers can find the new flavors on store shelves now. The DARE attitude is captured with a little fun taunting inside the packaging – sayings like “Man up and take the next bite!,” and “You started this dare. Now finish it!” portray the fun of the challenge.

To build excitement for the introduction of DARE, the brand engaged its active Facebook fan base and Twitter followers (follow the brand on Twitter @SlimJim) to give away “top secret” brief cases filled with the new flavors, along with a Sony PSP gaming system. The brand will continue to leverage its fans to build excitement around the new spicy challenge into the summer.

ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG) is one of North America's leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America's households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Healthy Choice, Hebrew National, Hunt's, Marie Callender's, Orville Redenbacher's, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many other ConAgra Foods brands 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, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at www.conagrafoods.com.

¹ IRI, Total US Convenience, 52 Weeks Ending April 24, 2011
² Hot and spicy new items are outpacing category growth +$13MM vs YA- IRI Convenience All Scan 52 Weeks ending Sep 5, 2010