UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 8-K 

Current Report

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 1, 2013

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

[  ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

[  ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

[  ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

[  ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Item 5.02              Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers.

On January 1, 2013, Mr. Carl J. Rickertsen was appointed as a director of the Registrant and a member of the Registrant’s Audit Committee.  In accordance with the Registrant’s non-employee director compensation policy, Mr. Rickertsen will receive compensation of $85,000 per year.  In addition, Mr. Rickertsen will be granted a vested option to purchase 15,500 shares of common stock of the Registrant with an exercise price equal to the fair market value of such stock as of the date of such grant.

Item 9.01              Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d)                           Exhibits

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                            BERRY PLASTICS GROUP, INC.

Date:  January 2, 2013                                                   By:    /s/ Jeffrey D. Thompson                                             

Name:   Jeffrey D. Thompson

Title:     Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit 99.1

                                                                News Release

Media Contact:                                                                                 Investor Contact:

Eva Schmitz                                                                                      Dustin Stilwell

812.306.2424                                                                                     812.306.2964

evaschmitz@berryplastics.com                                                           dustinstilwell@berryplastics.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Berry Plastics Group, Inc. Appoints Rick Rickertsen to Company’s Board of Directors                   

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – January 2, 2013 – Today, Berry Plastics Group, Inc. (NYSE: BERY), announced the appointment of Carl J. (Rick) Rickertsen to its Board of Directors.  Rickertsen is a managing partner of Pine Creek Partners, a private equity investment firm based in Washington, D.C.

Rickertsen has worked in private equity since 1987.  Prior to founding Pine Creek Partners, he was chief operating officer and partner of Thayer Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C.-based private equity investment firm.  Rickertsen was a founding partner of three Thayer investment funds totaling over $1.4 billion and is a published author. 

"I am very proud to join the board of this exciting company,” said Rickertsen.  “Not only is Berry Plastics a leading global manufacturer and marketer of packaging products today, there is also much growth ahead for the Company as it continues to research, develop, and bring to market new and innovative customer solutions."

Rickertsen has been a member of the board of directors of MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), since October 2002.  He joined the Apollo Senior Credit Fund (NYSE: AFT) board in 2011 and the board of Noranda (NYSE: NOR) in 2012. Rickertsen was formerly a board member of publicly-traded companies Convera Corporation, a search-engine software company, UAP Holding Corp., a distributor of agriculture products, and Homeland Security Capital Corporation, a specialized technology provider to government and commercial customers.

"We are pleased to have Rick join Berry Plastics’ Board of Directors and serve on our Board’s Audit Committee," said Jon Rich, Chairman and CEO of Berry Plastics.  “Rick brings with him a wealth of knowledge gained from his 25 years in the private equity sector and in his capacity of serving on boards of publicly traded companies.  His knowledge, experience, and insight will be beneficial to Berry as we pursue our deleveraging and strategic growth initiatives.” 

Rickertsen graduated with distinction from Stanford University and Harvard Graduate School of Business, obtaining a BS in Industrial Engineering from Stanford and MBA from Harvard.

About Berry Plastics

Berry Plastics Group, Inc. is a leading provider of value-added plastic consumer packaging and engineered materials delivering high-quality customized solutions to our customers with annual

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net sales of $4.8 billion in fiscal 2012. With world headquarters in Evansville, Indiana, the Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BERY.  For additional information, visit the Company’s website at www.berryplastics.com.

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