Trends to Watch in 2008

Probiotics, Beyond Yogurt. Now that consumers are recognizing?and buying?foods with probiotics, look for products beyond Dannons highly successful Activia yogurt. Other products have appeared in the dairy case, including Kraft new LiveActive Cheese, and indications are chocolate might be the next frontier with new technology that allows a probiotic chocolate bar.

Organic Foods and Beverages for Kids. Add growing controversy over marketing childrens foods aimed at kids to wider availability of organic ffods and ingredients and it leads to a more-aggressive pitch from organic product makers. New entries include Amys Kitchens Amys Not Just for Kids Meals Frozen Entrees, and Honest Teas Honest Kids Organic Fruit-Flavored Thirst Quenchers.

Fresh is Best. As UK-based Tescos opens numerous Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market convenience stores in the U.S. West Coast fresh is the new buzz for convenience stores. Add the tripling of new food introductions cooked with steam in special microwave packages, like new Rosetto Steamn Eat Ravioli, and it seems consumers are ready for a fresh shopping experience

Superfruits for the Masses. Popularity of high-nutrient so-called superfruits, like acai, goji berries, noni and pomegranate, is evident in a widening array of food and beverage products and larger companies have taken notice. Datamonitor points to the yumberry, a high-antioxidant subtropical fruit that has been harvested for over 2,000 years in China, but is new to most of the rest of the world.

Out of Africa. Ingredients from the mysterious Dark Content are starting to see the light, as we see an influx of African ingredients, like shea butter and baobab oil, into nonfood items like skin creams and cosmetics. Hot peppers like peri-peri, or African birds eye chile, are beginning to appear in new sauces and condiments. Dishes and flavors from North Africa, like couscous, are also finding wider acceptance.

Sleep Soundly. As growing research shows a link between lack of sleep and health problems, such as obesity, a market for sleep aids and stress-relieving products that promote sleep, like Nakazawa Adult Milk in Japan, is emerging. This new milk comes from cows milked at dawn and is naturally high in melatonin, a sleep aid. Also, look for new products based on the amino acid gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is extolled for stress relief. Jones Soda announced plans to use it in a new type of energy beverage.

Crunch Time. Better-for-you foods better have a satisfying crunch. According to Datamonitors Productscan Online database of new products, the number of worldwide new product reports using crunchy or crispy as descriptors doubled between 2002 and 2006.

Bold (Flavor) is Beautiful. Aging taste buds need hotter, spicier and bolder flavors to make up for loss in flavor, olfactory and taste perception. Sales of hot and spicy salsas are rising, as are bolder cheeses. The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board say retail sales of tangy blue cheese rose 6.3% in 2006. Datamonitors Productscan Online notes that mentions of the word spicy for new foods and beverages doubled between 2003 and 2006.

Power Up With Caffeine. Not only is caffeine in most beverage categories, including new Swiss Miss Pick-Me-Up Hot Cocoa Mix with Calcium, its found its way into sunflower seeds, mints, potato chips, jellybeans and even instant oatmeal.

Greening Up for the Planet. Packaged goods makers are finding creative new ways to go green and protect the environment. Bottled water is in the cross-hairs, generating new products, such as Procter & Gambles Pur Flavor Options, which lets consumers flavor water as it comes out of the tap, dispensing with bottled-water waste.