Swanson Celebrates TV Dinner
With nearly $4 billion in sales, frozen meals and entrees are a mainstay in U.S. kitchens. But it all started in 1954 when a young executive at a poultry processing company was seeking a way to use surplus turkey. Now, Swanson Frozen Foods, a division of Vlasic Foods International (Cherry Hill, NJ), is celebrating the 45th anniversary of the "TV Dinner."
"For 45 years, Swanson dinners have played an important role within the American family," said Murray Kessler, president, Swanson. "The TV Dinner was invented to meet an increasing need for high-quality, convenient meals for a value."
According to Gerry Thomas, the man who invented the TV Dinner, the product met an even more pressing need for the Omaha-based C.A. Swanson and Sons company.
"It's the classic example of necessity being the mother of invention," explained Thomas, now a retired Swanson executive. "It was after Thanksgiving, and we had undersold, leaving us with a surplus of turkeys—520,000 lb of turkey to be exact. And because of limited space in the warehouses, the turkeys had to be kept in refrigerated railroad box cars, which traveled from coast to coast. We were challenged to come up with a way to use the excess inventory."
Thomas' solution was to create a complete turkey dinner that was ready to heat and serve. He even sketched the initial drawing of a three-compartment aluminum tray and came up with the name "TV dinner" to capitalize on the popularity of the then up-and-coming pastime.
Initially skeptical, the company only ordered 5,000 dinners for the product's introduction. That first meal—containing turkey, cornbread dressing and gravy, buttered peas and sweet potatoes—went on to sell 10 million 98-cent units that first year.
The next year, the company introduced a frozen fried chicken dinner and was acquired by the Campbell Soup Co. Swanson then went on to become a leader in the convenience revolution and a $300 million business.
More than four decades after transforming the industry, Swanson is using the anniversary celebration to give the TV dinner a boost. With a 38% market share in frozen dinners, the company is looking regain some of the ground it began losing in the 1970s when Nestle took over the No. 1 spot.
Swanson plans to unveil 10 new products this year and spend $10 million on advertising. The 45th anniversary celebration also will include the unveiling of new, retro packaging that features the original design of the first TV Dinner boxes. The company even is temporarily bringing the aluminum tray out of retirement, which microwavable packaging replaced in 1986.