Everything old is new, and on shelves, again

Eric Kastel, an associate professor at the Culinary Institute of America, said consumers do latch on to the old, and a healthier product would encourage them to return.

"In general, the American public is getting more health conscious about everything," he said.

Pinnacle added whole grain options to Aunt Jemima's frozen breakfast items like pancakes and french toast and a whole wheat flavor to Lender's selection of frozen and refrigerated bagels. It's also moving Duncan Hines to the freezer section for the time-starved baker. Instead of needing an egg and a mixing bowl, brownies go right into the oven.

The strategy with Lender's is to promote the bagel as a healthy food that can be eaten at any time during the day, said Ray O'Brien, the label's vice president. He said the brand, now in its 80th year, previously was losing sales, nearly a double-digit decline.

"What we're trying to do is take the ... Lender's name, and see how we can rekindle it and make it as contemporary and relevant for today," he said. "Something you might have had years ago is still relevant for today."

He said sales were about $100 million last year, up 5 percent.

Pinnacle is spending about $25 million this year to rebrand the label. Pinnacle acquired it in 2004 from the bankrupt Aurora Foods, which had purchased Lender's from Kellogg Co. in 1999.

O'Brien said the company wants to emphasize its history, too. Polish immigrant Harry Lender opened a bagel shop in 1927 in West Haven, Conn., and takes credit for introducing the bagel to the American diet. Supermarkets began selling them in 1955.

Once limited to Eastern European Jews in large metropolitan cities, the bagel is now a ubiquitous bread product, sold by large chains like Starbucks Corp. and Panera Bread Co., and even bagel chain stores have emerged.

Still, some bagel fans in New York City said they'd pick any fresh bread product over a Lender's bagel.

"If I'm in Wisconsin, I might take the Lender's," said Peg Munves, 53, shopping at a Fairway grocery store in New York. "Living in New York, I have some options."

Around the country, Lender's is a supermarket staple, and its primary market is older adults and households with children.

The new whole wheat flavor doesn't appeal to Bonnie Pershin, 35, who eats a Lender's egg bagel "with a schmear" at least three times per week for breakfast. But as the mother of a 6-year-old son, she would favor organic maple syrup instead of Mrs. Butterworth's or other brands.

"I absolutely remember the bottle," said Pershin, shopping in a suburban Chicago grocery store. "If you have to put something on the waffle or pancake, I'd rather have my kid have 100 percent maple syrup than five or six different ingredients."

But the family is sold on Vlasic pickles, a 66-year-old brand, partly because of its famous stork.

"We buy it because my son sees the commercial, and they have more crunch," she said. "I remember the commercial."

Another shopper, 41-year-old Kristine Kent, said she is glad to hear that Hungry-Man would offer a grilled variety because her daughter likes to eat the frozen entrees.

"If you're buying a frozen meal, you've probably resigned yourself to the fact that it's probably not great for you," said Kent.

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