NORWALK, Conn., Oct. 21, 2008 – Since Stew Leonard's began offering reusable canvas bags last year, the stores' overall plastic bag use is down 15 percent. To date, more than 80,000 reusable bags have been sold, with sales up 300 percent over last year.

In an effort to continue this trend, Stew's youngest daughter, 13 year-old Madison Leonard, surveyed more than 600 customers about what they wanted in a reusable shopping bag, including what materials and designs appealed to them.

"Overall, customers told us they wanted a fun design. Their favorite was actually the cow print bag, which is ironic, because it was the one design my grandfather originally told me to take out of the survey. Good thing we listen to our customers," said Madison Leonard. "Another winner was the "Eat Right, Eat Healthy" design because it was a favorite among both kids, who liked the design, and parents, who liked the nutritional message."

Debuting November 1st, Stew Leonard's new reusable bags are available in three colorful, fun designs selected by the customers. The bags are made from more than 50 percent recyclable materials; the inside core is a material made from recycled plastic bottles, while the outside film is a polypropylene material that makes it water repellant and easily wiped clean. The bags are the size of a standard paper bag, but are much more durable than plastic or paper since they can hold up to 40 pounds and be reused numerous times. The three distinct designs include:

• Cow Motif: Animal prints are all the rage, and this black and white cow print bag is "moovelous."
• The Healthy Way: Remind yourself to "Eat Right, Eat Healthy" with this bag that features an illustration from Stew Leonard's nutrition story book for kids, The Healthy Way, on a white background with lime green trim.
• Stew Leonard's Logo: Show your love of farm fresh foods from your favorite grocery store by sporting this golden yellow bag imprinted with a subtle Stew Leonard's script logo background pattern, with a prominent "kid and cow" logo in the center.

The bags will be sold for $1.29 each. In addition, customers who spend $200 get a free bag with their purchase. As an added incentive, customers who use reusable bags in place of plastic or paper are entered into a monthly drawing to win a $50 Stew Leonard’s gift card. The new reusable bags are available in store and can also be ordered online at www.stewleonardsgifts.com.

Stew Leonard's is also launching a new promotion that builds off the company's famous "Bags Around the World" wall. Previously, customers received a $3.00 gift card for sending in creative photos of themselves holding their Stew Leonard's bag. Now customers who send in a photo of themselves holding one of Stew Leonard's reusable bags receive a $5.00 gift certificate.

Stew Leonard's Plastic Recycling Efforts
The average American household uses approximately 900 plastic bags per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Between all four Stew Leonard's stores, the company uses 18 million plastic bags a year. Since January, Stew Leonard's has recycled close to 50,000 pounds of plastic, which translates to about 2.6 million plastic bags. While it is a great start, the solution is really to encourage customers to use reusable shopping bags.

Paper bags are not the answer, either, since it takes more than four times the energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to make a plastic bag. Because they are bulkier, it would take 64 truckloads to deliver all the paper bags Stew Leonard's would need versus 12 trailer loads for plastic bags. It also takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper.

"At Stew Leonard's, we pride ourselves on listening to our customers. We hope that by providing functional reusable bags in a choice of fun, colorful designs, customers will be more likely to use them in place of plastic and remember to bring them in every time they shop," said Stew Leonard, Jr. "We can all make a difference by reducing our use of plastic, one bag at a time."

Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y.. The company was named among FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" for the past seven consecutive years. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com.