January 25, 2007
Foods feature
familiar face
Joe
Paterno graces the cover of Super Buns, available in the frozen food
section of Giant stores.
By Jennifer Thomas
First it was Wheaties. Now Penn
State football coach Joe Paterno's face will be on another breakfast
food.
Nutritionally fortified Super
Donuts and Super Buns -- yes, baked goods with 14 vitamins and minerals
and four grams of protein -- featuring an image of Paterno will debut
locally in the frozen foods aisle of Giant supermarkets today.
"You don't get this in a
regular doughnut," said Ron Rossi, vice president of sales and
marketing for Super Bakery Inc.
Paterno will be featured in the
central and eastern Pennsylvania market thanks to his tie to with Franco
Harris, a former Penn State football player and Pittsburgh Steelers Hall
of Fame running back.
Harris has run Super Bakery
since 1990, and recently added R Super Foods, a sister company to handle
retail operations.
"The student went back to
his mentor perhaps," Rossi said.
Paterno was featured on a
collectible Wheaties box in 2003.
Paterno was chosen because of
his commitment to educational projects, such as the Paterno Library, and
efforts to support the local community, Rossi said.
"His career speaks
volumes," Rossi said.
Paterno's photo will be
featured on the box and there will be a Paterno collector's card inside.
In Pittsburgh, where the baked
good will be sold at Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
Hines Ward will be on the box.
R Super Foods plans to continue
using its products to honor sports figures for their off-the-field
public and community service achievements. Donations from sale proceeds
will be made to foundations or charities the sports figures support.
Paterno has designated the
Paterno Library Endowment, which helps pay for items such as books,
journals and databases, as his charity, said Nancy Eaton, dean of
University Libraries.
"They've been long-term
supporters of the board, I'm very grateful," she said. "Our
relationship with them is pretty deep."
This is the company's first
venture into the retail market. Until now, the company's product has
only been available to schools, health-care operations, the military and
other institutional markets.
The company touts Super Donuts
as a healthier alternative than similar snack foods -- but consumers
still need to know their limits, Rossi said.
"Everybody likes
doughnuts," Rossi said.
"We don't advocate you eat
a whole box of doughnuts, because they're still doughnuts."
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