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Ragú

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For the Italian term for a meat-based pasta sauce, see ragù.
Not to be confused with ragout, a Frenchie stew.
Ragú
Product typePasta sauce
OwnerMizkan
CountryU.S.
Introduced1937
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersLiDestri Foods
Unilever
Tagline"America's Favorite Pasta Sauce Brand"
Websitewww.ragu.com

Ragú /ræˈɡuː/ is a brand of Italian-style sauces and condiments owned, in North America, by Mizkan,[1] and, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Symington's, a private-label food manufacturer.[2]

The sister product to Ragú, known as Raguletto, is produced in Oceania, Finland, and South Korea. Raguletto is sold in Oceania by Simplot and in Finland by Continental Foods.[3][4]

Overview

The Ragú brand was first sold in 1937 and in 2014 was the best selling U.S. brand of pasta sauce.[5] Ragú was acquired by the Lipton and Bestfoods companies before merging with the Unilever portfolio, prior to its sale to Mizkan.

The Ragú pasta sauce line consists of smooth Old World Style sauces,[6] Chunky sauces,[5] bold Robusto! sauces,[7] as well as organic and light pasta sauces. While most well known for selling jar packaged pasta sauce, Ragú also purveys a pizza sauce[8] and an Alfredo sauce.[9]

In its first several decades, Ragú advertising and sales broadened the appeal of Italian-American food in the United States, with slogans like "That's Italian!" and "Ragú brings the Italian out in you!" Americanized Italian cuisine is now the most common "ethnic" cuisine served in U.S. households, followed by variations of Americanized Mexican cuisine.[citation needed]

Current advertising highlights the natural ingredients and "full serving of veggies" found in the sauce. Cooked tomato foods, including Ragú, are highlighted as containing the antioxidant lycopene, which is claimed to be a cancer fighting agent. As of 2015, the advertising campaign refers to the creation of Ragú by Assunta Cantisano (see below: "History") with the phrase "Simmered in Tradition."[10]

Etymology

Although the name is spelled with an accent like the Italian sauce, ragù, the brand name Ragú is spelled with an acute accent, while the Italian word ragù (an Italian sauce typically used for dressing pasta) is spelled with a grave accent.

History

Ragú had its origins in Rochester, New York, in 1937.[11] Assunta Cantisano and her husband Giovanni founded the Ragu Packing Company in their home in Rochester, New York in 1937, making spaghetti sauce in their basement and selling it on their front porch.[11] They later expanded to an entire factory.[12] In 1969, the Ragu name was sold to Chesebrough-Pond's, which in turn was acquired by Unilever in 1987. The facility in Rochester still manufactured products under the Cantisano name brand. Some of the original facility still exists and produces products for other labels (including Newman's Own) as private label foods.

The Cantisano family left to create Cantisano Foods[12] (now LiDestri Foods), and invented the Francesco Rinaldi brand of pasta sauce. The quotations "As I got older, I got better" and "Ciao, Francesco Rinaldi" have gained popularity since their use in commercials for Francesco Rinaldi.

References

  1. ^ "Consumer goods major Unilever sells Ragu and Bertolli brands". Japan Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Unilever sells Chicken Tonight and Ragu for £30m". Telegraph. Retrieved 2012-02-04.
  3. ^ "Simplot acquires Symington sauce brands". Australian Food News. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  4. ^ "What does home taste like ? - Continental Foods". Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b "Ragu: the way many of us learned to love 'Italian' food". Marketplace. May 22, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "NAD doesn't like the taste of Prego's taste test claims". Lexology. March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  7. ^ "What Does Spaghetti Have To Do With Happiness?". WWNO. May 4, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  8. ^ Carpender, D.; Westman, E. (2016). The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution Cookbook: Prevent and Heal Type 2 Diabetes with 200 Ultra Low-Carb Recipes - All Recipes 5 Total Carbs Or Fewer!. Fair Winds Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-59233-729-3. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  9. ^ Joachim, D. (2006). The Spaghetti Sauce Gourmet: 160 Recipes from Four Kinds of Sauce. Fair Winds Press. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-61673-400-8. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  10. ^ "Ragu TV Commercial, 'Simmered In Tradition'". Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  11. ^ a b "Rose Parade 2017: Here's the complete lineup with every float, band and equestrian group in order". The Mercury News. December 21, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Whatever Happened To ... Ragu?". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. May 30, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
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