A&P SERVING UP NEW COURSE OF COMPLETE MEAL SOLUTIONS

RICHARD TURCSIK

MONTVALE, N.J. -- A&P here has made dinner planning easier with a new meal solutions program.

Meal Idea! features Center Store and other products that can be assembled for a complete meal, including main dish, side dishes and dessert.

Company officials described The Meal Idea! as an occasional accompaniment to A&P's other merchandising programs, although at least two different weekly recipes have been offered since the program began this month.

The debut meal suggestion, chicken marsala, was highlighted on the first page of its circular by a light bulb in an elongated A&P capsule. A bar across the center of the page stated, "This quick & easy meal is made with these fine components." Featured items included Stouffer's creamed spinach, which was on sale for 40% off a 9-ounce box; Green Giant rice pilaf, 99 cents a 10-ounce box; Edy's ice cream, two half-gallon containers for $5; Eight O'Clock bean coffee, $7.99 a 36- to- 39-ounce bag; and Made With Hershey's Bag O' Cookies, sold through the in-store bakery at $1.99 an 8.7-ounce bag.

Customers needed to use their A&P Bonus Card to get the discounts on the Edy's ice cream, Eight O'Clock coffee and Green Giant rice pilaf.

The featured items were also printed on the inside of the circular, along with the recipe for the main dish.

Michael Rourke, senior vice president for communications and corporate affairs at A&P, told SN that the Meal Idea! is a new twist on recipe cards that are often offered in supermarkets.

"We've had recipes in the store that you could get from a kiosk, the meat counter or the seafood counter, suggesting different items that could be purchased and telling you how to put the meal together. But we have never featured the recipes this way before," he said.

In store, the items are highlighted by special shelf tags, Rourke said.