The South Beach Diet(TM) Now Easier Than Ever to Follow

Kraft Offers New, Delicious and Convenient Options for a Healthy Lifestyle, Weight Loss Plan
NORTHFIELD, IL -- 04/25/2005 -- Now Kraft is making it easier than ever to follow one the most popular weight loss plans and eat right.

Kraft Foods, North America’s largest food company, will expand its alliance with The South Beach Diet and its creator, Arthur Agatston, M.D., by launching a new line of South Beach Diet products. The wide variety of options includes delicious choices for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacking. Full national distribution is expected this month.

Most people who are trying to lose weight start by counting calories -- even weighing and measuring out precise portions. But a new study* suggests dieters might be more successful if they focus on changing the types of foods they eat. In fact, the study found that overweight and obese adults who followed the principles of The South Beach Diet lost more weight and body fat compared to dieters who adopted a low-fat, portion-controlled plan.

“The new research reinforces what I’ve been witnessing in my practice for years -- my patients are able to enjoy a variety of foods without counting calories or feeling deprived,” says Arthur Agatston.

“My goal is to help change the way America eats, and these great-tasting, nutrient-rich products from Kraft are convenient, making it easier for people to follow The South Beach Diet -- whether for a healthy lifestyle or weight loss,” he adds.

New South Beach Diet Product Line-Up

“Kraft’s alliance with The South Beach Diet, including both our ’South Beach Diet Recommended’ products and the new product line gives consumers many choices to manage their weight as well as eat right for a healthy lifestyle,” said Howard Brandeisky, vice president, South Beach Diet Foods, Kraft.

The new product line comes less than one year after Kraft began marketing many of its existing products that fit within the diet under a “South Beach Diet Recommended” banner.

The new South Beach Diet products include cereal, meal replacement and cereal bars, refrigerated sandwich wraps, frozen entrees and frozen pizza. Products include:

-- Cereal
Consumers looking to choose whole grains will have two new options
with the South Beach Diet Toasted Wheats and Whole Grain Crunch
cereals. Both great-tasting varieties contain no trans fat and are a
source of whole grains.

-- Meal Replacement Bars
For a meal while on the go, Kraft will offer convenient bars including:
Chocolate Crisp, Chocolate Peanut Butter (also available in a 6-pack)
and Cinnamon Crème.

-- Cereal Bars
Kraft will offer five satisfying varieties of cereal bars made with
wholesome ingredients and three times more protein than the leading
cereal bar. Perfect for a convenient and delicious breakfast or snack
for people on the go. Flavors include: Peanut Butter, Cinnamon Raisin,
Cranberry Almond, Chocolate, and Maple Nut.

-- Refrigerated Sandwich Wraps
New South Beach Diet Refrigerated Wrap Sandwich Kits will offer quick,
delicious meal solutions that consumers can put together fresh when
they are ready to eat! The four varieties, Southwestern Style Chicken,
Grilled Chicken Caesar, Turkey & Bacon Club and Deli Ham & Turkey, will
include high-quality ingredients such as lean meats, 2 percent cheeses,
soft tortilla wraps and flavorful sauces or dressings.

-- Frozen Entrees
Kraft will offer eight delicious entrees to choose from including:
Mediterranean Style Chicken with Couscous, Garlic Herb Chicken with
Green Beans Almondine, Savory Beef with Cheesy Broccoli, Beef &
Broccoli with Asian Style Noodles, Savory Pork with Pecans & Green
Beans, Penne & Chicken in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Caprese Style
Chicken with Broccoli & Cauliflower and Cashew Chicken with Sugar
Snap Peas. These meals will feature generous portions of lean meats,
crisp vegetables and in some varieties, whole grains.

-- Frozen Pizza
Pizza can be part of The South Beach Diet with the line’s four great
tasting new varieties: Grilled Chicken & Vegetable, Deluxe, Pepperoni
and Four Cheese. These pizzas will deliver hunger satisfaction through
generous toppings on a fiber-rich crust.

New Books Hit Shelves
In addition to the new products, two new editions of popular books by Dr. Agatston hit the stores this spring.

First, his best-selling “The South Beach Diet” book will now be available in paperback (St. Martin’s Press, available April 19) and sold in grocery stores -- making it easier and more convenient for dieters to tote as a handy reference tool. In addition, a new, updated edition of “The South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide” (Rodale, Inc., Trade paperback original/April 2005) complete with an easy-to-follow index, food content and nutritional information, portion recommendations and a Frequently Asked Questions section, will also be available nationwide in April 2005.

Both “The South Beach Diet” and “The South Beach Diet Cookbook” are also available in large print from Random House. Additionally, “The South Beach Diet” is available on audiocassette and CD from Harper Audio.

The South Beach Diet: On the Web

The popular South Beach Diet online community at www.southbeachdiet.com will continue to offer devotees of the diet references, tips and tools such as meal planning ideas, food content and nutritional information as well as weight management and lifestyle ideas.

The South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet is a weight loss plan that encourages people to eat a variety of foods, such as lean sources of protein, reduced fat cheeses and dairy products, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and right fats like olive and canola oil.

“It has been a great revelation to me that weight loss is not about low carbs or low fat, but the right carbs and the right fats,” Agatston said. “I am also encouraged that people appear to be shifting from strict low- carbohydrate diets to more balanced approaches. And I am seeing a growing consensus among nutrition experts about the importance of the right carbs like whole grains, fruits and vegetables in the diet, as well as including unsaturated fats like olive and canola oils -- all consistent with The South Beach Diet.”

For some time, Kraft has been a leader in products that help people eat and live better, offering a range of nutritious alternatives like fat-free and sugar-free products, as well as those that leverage emerging health and wellness trends. Kraft’s product portfolio provides a broad range of options for consumers to choose different products for various eating occasions.

*Source: Maki KC, Rains TM, Kaden VN, Quinn J, Davidson MH. A randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of a modified carbohydrate diet for reducing body weight and fat in overweight and obese men and women. Experimental Biology 2005. This study was funded by Kraft Foods.

About Kraft

Kraft Foods markets many of the world’s leading food brands, including Kraft cheese, Yuban and Maxwell House coffees, Planters nuts, Triscuit Reduced Fat crackers, Philadelphia cream cheese, Oscar Mayer meats and Post cereals in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.kraft.com.

About The South Beach Diet

“The South Beach Diet” by Dr. Arthur Agatston was first published by Rodale Inc. in April of 2003 and has been on the New York Times best-seller list for more than 96 consecutive weeks to date, with more than 8.5 million copies in print. It was #1 on the New York Times Best-seller list for 38 weeks. A companion guide, “The South Beach Diet Good Fats/ Good Carbs Guide,” was published by Rodale in January 2003 and now has more than 3.8 million copies in print, spending 18 weeks at #1 on the Publishers Weekly best-seller list. Dr. Agatston’s latest book, “The South Beach Diet Cookbook,” with a 1.5 million copy first printing, was the largest launch for a cookbook in publishing history. On April 19th, St. Martin’s Press will publish “The South Beach Diet” simultaneously in mass market and trade paperback editions, with more than a 2 million copy lay down and Rodale will ship more than one million copies of the newly revised “The South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide” with expanded new nutritional information. Additionally, Rodale has released “The South Beach Diet” and “The South Beach Diet Cookbook” in Spanish language editions for the U.S. market. “La Dieta South Beach” and “El Recitario de La Dieta South Beach” are now both available in paperback. For more information, visit www.southbeachdiet.com.

Editors Note: For high-res images: http://www.newswire1.net/NW2005/A_WEB_CH/WEB3001432/index.html

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