Van's Waffles Introduces New "Hearty Oats" Line

New Heart-Healthy Line Includes Country's First Syrup-Infused Waffle Sold In Stores
Almost 40 years ago, Pilue Van Dam debuted her famous Belgian waffles at America's New York World's Fair. Today, Pilue's namesake company - Van's International www.vanswaffles.com is the country's leading all-natural frozen waffle brand with a wide range of tasty and healthy products, including the company's new heart-healthy line: Hearty Oats.

More than 70 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular (heart) disease (CVD), according to the American Heart Association. Among adults age 18 and older, the prevalence of two or more risk factors for CVD increased from 23.6% in 1991 to 27.9% in 1999. Moreover, these risk factors increased significantly for both men and women of all racial, ethnic, age and education groups. Among those with 3 risk factors, the most common combination was high cholesterol and obesity.

Van's new Hearty Oats product line was specifically created in response to the increasing prevalence and awareness of this widespread health concern. Besides having the antioxidant power of one whole pomegranate, Van's Hearty Oats products are free of cholesterol and an excellent source of whole grains and calcium. They also have 5 grams of fiber and protein.

Van's Hearty Oats Waffles come in 3 flavors:
Maple Fusion the first "grab-n-go" syrup-infused waffle sold in supermarkets and other food and health stores
Oats N' Honey
Berry Boost

Each of these also received an Excellent Source of Whole Grains stamp from the Whole Grains Council, which assures that the waffles contains a full serving of whole grain in each labeled serving.

Van's Hearty Oats Waffles are available in most natural food stores, including Whole Foods and Wild Oats, as well as mainstream supermarkets nationwide, retailing for $2.49 per box.

"Van's has an established tradition of both anticipating and meeting our customers' needs," says Jim Kelly, CEO of Van's International Waffles. "Our consumers have come to rely on us for delivering the best- tasting and healthiest waffles available, and with the tremendous demand for heart healthy foods, we anticipate our new line will prove one of the most successful in Van's history."

For more information about Van's International Waffles' complete line of products and historical origins, visit www.vanswaffles.com

About Van's International Waffles
Van's International Waffles is the country's leading brand of all-natural waffles. Besides traditional waffles, the company makes a line of wheat-free waffles and organic wheat waffles, both of which are vegan. The Van's family waffles recipe was introduced to the United States from Belgium at the 1964 New York World's Fair. KCA Foods acquired Van's International Foods in January 2000. Van's All Natural Waffles are available in many supermarkets and most natural food stores across the United States and Canada.