Birds Eye Foods' new Steamfresh vegetables provide what the company insists is a can't-miss way to microwave-heat flash-frozen vegetables with perfect results every time in just minutes, without any water boiling or chopping. The precut, frozen vegetables in 12-oz bags come in nine varieties, including Broccoli, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas & Water Chestnuts, Mixed Vegetables, Super Sweet Corn and Sweet Peas that are now available nationally. The custom film bag becomes a steaming vessel as it puffs up under the pressure of the steam created within when the package is heated in the microwave oven. Through patented steaming technology, a vent called the SteamFast® valve releases built up steam within the puffed bag, allowing the steam to circulate evenly throughout the cooking process. The bag is made with a unique steam channel built into the film and the ends of each package, which are sealed during filling. When the bag is placed in the microwave, steam pressure builds up, and the Steamfresh bag inflates. When the pressure reaches the desired levels, the ends of the channel open and release the steam pressure. SteamFast technology ensures the package maintains pressure during the cooking process and systematically releases the steam pressure during the microwave cooking process. This ensures the vegetables are cooked rapidly and evenly.

Bagstock consists of a reverse-gravure-printed polyethylene terephthalate\adhesive\ polypropylene structure from Excelsior Packaging Group featuring graphics designed with help from marketing strategy consultancy Vertis (www.vertisinc.com).

Says Birds Eye senior product manager Josh Weinstein, "Steaming has long been thought of as the gold standard for vegetable preparation because of its inherent health benefits. Consumers will receive perfectly steamed vegetables with such ease and convenience in preparation time, that we believe the Steamfresh portfolio could quickly become a home meal-time staple." Each of the packages serves about four people. Steamfresh has a suggested retail price from $1.69 for plain vegetables and $2.29 for mixes.