• Los Angeles Times/AP, Monday, December 3, 2007 12:15 PM

Pinnacle Foods has found success by purchasing tired but well-known packaged food brands, such as Swanson TV dinners, Lender's Bagels and Vlasic Pickles, and reintroducing them, adding modern-day twists. Consumers know the products from ad campaigns of decades ago, and the company tries to capitalize on that recognition, says Pinnacle CEO Jeffrey Ansell.

But there's a challenge: The American diet has changed. People want healthful options, prompting Pinnacle to add new products. Ansell says consumers responded well to Log Cabin's introduction of a 100%-pure maple syrup product in an old-fashioned country jug. Hungry-Man frozen dinners will offer new grilled entrees next year, and Lender's has introduced a new whole-wheat variety. Net sales are up nearly 4% so far this year.

Relying on nostalgia isn't a bad way to generate sales, especially with baby boomers, according to Marcia Mogelonsky, an analyst with Mintel International Group.

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