SAFEWAY DIVISION DEVOTES INSERT TO FROZENS IN OCTOBER COUPON BOOK

FREMONT, Calif. -- In what a spokeswoman said was a first, Safeway's Northern California division here devoted an insert to frozen food in its coupon book.

and a fork-wielding penguin. Effective at Safeway and Pak 'N Save stores until the end of this month, the hand-sized booklet contained coupons and non-coupon specials at reduced prices.

"This is a coupon book that ran in Northern California, and it is the first time that we have had a frozen food insert in it," said Debra Lambert, corporate public-affairs director for Safeway Inc., Oakland, Calif. "Each division does its own coupon book. It's up to each division to decide how it wants to proceed with its coupon book."

At the center of the insert, a blue-boxed section showing more penguin characters said, "Make Safeway Your Headquarters for Frozen Food Products. At Safeway, we carry a wide selection of frozen products, both in your favorite National brands and our own Safeway store brands." It then cited the chain's Lucerne ice cream, Valu Pack club-pack and Bel-air frozen private-label brands. Opposite that page was a mail-in drawing for a 1995 Ford Ranger pickup truck, a giveaway sponsored by Safeway, Tony's pizza and Kellogg's Eggo waffles.

Featured frozens products included Eggo waffles, Tony's pizza, Rosetto ravioli, Inland Valley french fries, Lucerne ice cream sandwiches, Bel-air and Birds Eye vegetables, Minute Maid orange juice, Lender's bagels, Pepperidge Farm layer cakes and Dannon frozen yogurt as well as dinners and entrees from Healthy Choice, Stouffer's, Swanson, The Budget Gourmet and Marie Callender's.

Shoppers at Safeway and other area stores also received manufacturer coupons on frozen items in an all-frozens freestanding insert. The insert, sponsored by the Frozen Food Council of Northern California, ran in area newspapers on Oct. 15.