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Applegate Farms, LLC Expands Chicken Product Line with APPLEGATE NATURALS® Lightly Breaded Chicken Tenders and Popcorn Chicken

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Bedminster, N.J.

Made with Applegate Humanely Raised1 all white meat chicken, these lightly breaded, gluten-free frozen offerings bring crispy and delicious protein to dinner plates in minutes.

APPLEGATE®, the nation’s leading natural and organic meat brand, is proud to introduce two new additions to its frozen chicken portfolio: APPLEGATE NATURALS® Lightly Breaded Chicken Tenders and APPLEGATE NATURALS® Lightly Breaded Popcorn Chicken. Made with all whole cuts of white meat chicken that is Applegate Humanely Raised1 with no antibiotics ever, the new Lightly Breaded line is gluten-free and packed with crispy, craveable flavor from natural, minimally processed ingredients.

With 12-14 grams of protein per serving and a gluten-free rice flour coating, the Lightly Breaded line has two fewer grams of carbs and two more grams of protein per serving than APPLEGATE NATURALS® Gluten Free Chicken Breast Tenders. As with Applegate’s other frozen offerings, APPLEGATE NATURALS® Lightly Breaded Chicken Tenders and Popcorn Chicken are ready in minutes. The two new offerings come in resealable ‘family size’ bags for added convenience.

“Applegate’s Lightly Breaded product expansion fills American’s hunger for more delicious, easy-to-make protein options available right from their freezer, ” said Joseph O’Connor, President of Applegate. “With Lightly Breaded, we’ve dialed back on the breading for extra crispiness and continue to deliver the nutritious and high-quality chicken Applegate is known for. We know it’ll be a hit with chicken tenders and popcorn chicken fans — including those who are concerned with or sensitive to gluten!”

In the Frozen Breaded Chicken category, Applegate has a repeat purchase rate that’s 1.9 times higher than the category average2. Applegate hopes to extend its success in the aisle with the introduction of the Lightly Breaded line, bringing 14 offerings now to shelf, including natural and organic lines, as well as gluten-free options.

APPLEGATE NATURALS® Lightly Breaded Chicken Tenders and Popcorn Chicken will be available on store shelves at select retailers including Whole Foods, Stop & Shop and Demoulas in May 2025 and has an MSRP of $12.99-14.99.

For more information, visit www.applegate.com or connect with us on social media at https://www.instagram.com/applegate/, www.facebook.com/applegate.

1 – Applegate Humanely Raised is a system that raises animals with space to engage in natural behaviors to promote natural growth.

2 – Nielsen x-AOC latest 52 weeks ending 3.30.24

About Applegate Farms LLC

Founded in 1987, Applegate Farms, LLC produces high-quality natural and organic hot dogs, bacon, sausages, deli meats, cheese and frozen products. Our products are made without GMO ingredients, and we source from farms where animals are treated with care and respect, pursuant to our Applegate Humanely Raised 1 guidelines, and are allowed to grow at their natural rate, all part of our mission – Changing The Meat We Eat®.

Natural can mean many things, but to Applegate natural means our food is:

  • From animals Applegate Humanely Raised1 without antibiotics, added hormones or growth promotants
  • From animals fed a vegetarian or pasture-centered diet (our beef is 100 percent grass-fed)
  • Free of added chemical nitrites, nitrates or phosphates
  • Free of artificial ingredients or preservatives

Applegate became a stand-alone subsidiary of Hormel Foods in July 2015. For more information about our products, visit www.applegate.com or talk with us on www.facebook.com/Applegate, or send a text to (908) 725-5800.

About Hormel Foods – Inspired People. Inspired Food.™

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include PLANTERS®, SKIPPY®, SPAM®, HORMEL® NATURAL CHOICE®, APPLEGATE®, JUSTIN’S®, WHOLLY®, HORMEL® BLACK LABEL®, COLUMBUS®, JENNIE-O® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world’s most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit hormelfoods.com.