HEINZ chief executive Dr Tony O'Reilly yesterday served up a generous helping of Heinz products and financial performance to New York security analysts when he took the stage at the World Trade Centre.

Dr O'Reilly, looking no worse for wear after his recent illness, told analysts that, after the past three years of restructuring, Heinz had emerged "with a much leaner cost base, a much tougher business focus and a far stronger brand portfolio".

Dr O'Reilly suffered from an inner ear infection and influenza over Christmas, but spoke and joked in his usual style with the New York Society of Security Analysts yesterday, before leaving to fly to Argentina to meet President Carlos Menem.

Dr O'Reilly was on his feet for over half an hour to introduce the presentation and later took questions from the analysts present. Speaking to a crowd of around 80 analysts on the 42nd floor of New York's tallest building - following a lunch liberally spiced with Heinz products - he said he was hoping for double digit growth "year after year after year".

He added, confidently, that he expected to be back at the same gathering in 1998 to announce further record breaking results.

No questions were raised about Dr O'Reilly's health or his long term future at the group.

Instead the Heinz executives emphasised the gains made in recent years in cost cutting and increasing market share, notably in the UK and in emerging markets such as India and South Africa.

Asked about acquisition plans, Dr O'Reilly said the company did not expect to be making as many in the coming year as it had in the past 12 months, although it was, eyeing a possibility in South America.