CHICAGO (November 3, 2015) – People like to talk turkey during the Thanksgiving holiday, but pie may be the trendier topic.

According to a recent national survey commissioned by the Sara Lee® Desserts brand, 62 percent of Americans make more mistakes with pies than with turkeys. And when faced with a Thanksgiving cooking crisis, the survey found nearly half of Americans with significant others (49 percent) would rather call a confidential hotline than ask their mothers-in-law for help.

Starting today, consumers can call the Sara Lee Pie Hotline at 1-888-914-1247 for tips to ensure their pie is a sweet success. Experts are available weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST through Thanksgiving Day 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST. Consumers can also tweet their pie predicaments to @SaraLeeDesserts using #PerfectPie during hotline hours.

“Families rely on the Sara Lee brand because we provide fresh, homemade taste and quality they can trust,” said Elizabeth Tanis, consumer affairs manager, Sara Lee Desserts. “Our team of experts is ready to dish tips via phone call or tweet to bakers of all experience levels to guide them successfully through the last – and most important – course.”

According to the survey, nearly all Americans (90 percent) will eat pie this Thanksgiving and 61 percent plan to enjoy at least two different kinds. Pumpkin pie is the favorite (38 percent), followed by pecan (20 percent), apple (19 percent) and sweet potato (12 percent). Additional survey findings include:

• Thanksgiving 101: Americans have a hard time with Thanksgiving basics. Half (50 percent) said they don’t know how to fix a broken pie crust.

• Cheater Cheater, Pumpkin Pie Eater: Thanksgiving meals don’t have to come with a side of stress. Nearly 1 in 3 (32 percent) – including 51 percent of millennials – admit to passing off a store-bought dessert as homemade.

• Breaking the Rules: When the pie is out of the oven, Americans are ready to dig in – right away. More than 1 in 3 (35 percent) – including 54 percent of millennials – have eaten pie before the main course on Thanksgiving.

• Under Pressure: Nearly 1 in 3 (31 percent) – including 54 percent of millennials – feel it’s likely they’ll run out of time preparing their Thanksgiving feasts this year.

Generations have counted on Sara Lee pies as their solution for memorable and stress-free holiday celebrations. From Dutch apple to pumpkin to pecan, nearly 7 million Sara Lee Oven Fresh Pies will be enjoyed this holiday season. Sara Lee Oven Fresh Pies are conveniently located in the frozen food section of local grocery stores.

For more information on the Sara Lee pie portfolio and pie baking and enhancement tips, visit www.SaraLeeDesserts.com or check out the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. To find where Sara Lee pies are sold, visit the Sara Lee product locator at www.SaraLeeDesserts.com/Products/Product-Locator.

About Sara Lee Desserts

For more than 75 years, Sara Lee Desserts has delighted millions of consumers by providing a wide portfolio of sweet goods, including cheesecakes, pound cakes, pies, cakes and sweet breakfast items. Sara Lee Desserts has become an integral part of family gatherings, special occasions and moments of togetherness with products to fit every season. For more information about Sara Lee Desserts visit www.SaraLeeDesserts.com or join in the sweet conversation on our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/SaraLeeDesserts.

Methodological Notes

This Sara Lee Desserts survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults ages 18 and over, between October 5 and October 9, 2015, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

# # #