EDITORS' PICKS 2007

Bumper crop

Fresh, dry grocery, HBC, you name it—innovation lives, driven by consumer demand, and this latest round of new product entries offers the cream.

This is the fifth year in a row that the market editors at PROGRESSIVE GROCER have done their best to review all comers in search of noteworthy new products. We found more than ever, with over 80 products chosen as Editors' Picks from among more than 300 qualified entries.

The products were submitted to the magazine by their makers and marketers. We judged them as best we could by criteria including attributes such as overall usefulness, innovative or appealing packaging, accuracy at meeting the market's perceived needs, merchandising programs that are especially well thought out, and responsiveness to important trends. When we got a hold of samples (and the products were edible), we counted taste and feel in the mix. The judges used a point-scoring system, and the winners simply scored the highest.

We asked manufacturers to send us what they considered their best products that had been introduced in roughly the last 12 months. Thus, winners were selected from a relatively small universe, and as such, the list should not be seen as a comprehensive accounting ofall new products available nationally that are worth noting.

Even so, at the very least these Editors' Picks comprise a guide to the product trends that are getting the most attention and probably matter most in the market today.

Among those trends this time around are:

• The mating of convenience, quality, and freshness in foods, (e.g., microwavable sandwiches with bread that actually tastes good), which could be seen as a three-way match made in heaven for many categories and departments.

• Easy meals in fresh and shelf-stable form that have crossed a crucial line of quality and viability thanks to technology and creativity.

• Voluminous, excellent entries in the center store categories such as pet food and treats, beverages, frozen foods, and snacks.

• Health and wellness is going as strong as ever, an overriding trend manifesting itself in new products featuring organics, whole grains, all-natural ingredients, and healthy additives, to name just a few. Fair Trade also figures more prominently than in previous years.

• Innovative kid-friendly products are paramount, including healthy products for kids that might actually appeal to the intended targets as vi^ell as their parents.

• Continued smart thinking in bringing packaging innovation and efficiencies to bear, in the service of freshness, ease of use, eye appeal.

or all ofthe above. Some might be surprising: Wine in a box isn't an innovation, for example, but given the right touch of the upscale (label, popular varietals), it's a packaging feature whose time has come.

These are the personal picks of opinionated industry observers who are also avid product consumers. As journalists covering the grocery trade, we looked for factors that would likely lead to success in the marketplace, but as consumers we also had to like the products enough to consider buying them ourselves.

The picks here are arranged by store department, and then alphabetically by company.

Sholl Group: Freshtables SteamPerfect

The Sholl Group II, marketer and evolutionary driver of the Green Giant Fresh brand, is enlivening the fi'esh produce department these days with Freshtables SteamPerfect, a line of vegetables, fruits, and sauces in bags that steam the product in the microwave in two minutes.

The new line features nine varieties of vegetables and fruits infused with chef-created sauces in 12-ounce readyto-steam bags.

The Scholl Group says Freshtables SteamPerfect, at a su^ested retail price of $3.99, provides consumers with a convenient, healthy product. For more information contact Sarah Wangler at (952) 475-9088, ext. 1114, or swangler@scholl.com.

Frozen foods

FreeBird: Grilled Chicken

Breast Strips

This bird you can change. Consumers can have all ofthe convenience and taste of a frozen chicken product, with none ofthe preservatives, thanks to natural FreeBird Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, made from cage-free chickens raised in Pennsylvania's famous Amish Country and fed an all-vegetarian, hormone-free diet.

The fully cooked, antibiotic-free chicken strips come in an eight-ounce package, and the taste and mouth feel are good.

For more information contact Craig Keppley at (800) 533-3361 or ckeppley@freebirdchicken.com.

Kellogg Co.: Kashi All-Natural Frozen Pizzas

Raising the frozen pizza category up another notch toward healthier options, Kashi All-Natural Frozen Pizzas feature a stone-fired seven-whole-grain and sesame crust. Additionally, each serving is an excellent source of fiber, whole grains, and protein, according to Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Co., which owns the Kashi brand. The pizza comes in Five Cheese Tomato, Mediterranean, and Roasted Garlic Chicken varieties.

For more information contact Kellogg senior manager, customer marketing Gary Zaccagnini at (269) 660-7116 or gary.zaccagnini@kellogg.com.

Frozen foods

Bobobaby: Organic Frozen Baby Food

Capitalizing on the growing consumer preference for all-natural and organic baby foods, Burnaby, B.C.-based Bobobaby, Inc. offers organic, kosher, ageappropriate frozen meals for babies six months and older. Additionally, the line, which comes in 12 varieties, is free of the top nine allergens: peanuts, nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, dairy, eggs, fish, and shellfish.

The products also contain no poultry or meat, and no added salt, sugar, color, or preservatives.

For more information contact Kalpna Solanki, Bobobaby president, at (877) 298-2985 or ksolanki@bobobaby.com.

Natural Choice Foods: Natural Choice Organic Mango Sorbet

Cool off the organic way with Natural Choice Organic Mango Sorbet from the leading organic sorbet supplier to the natural/organic trade. The USDA certified organic product, which is also vegan, kosher pareve, and fat-, dairy-, and cholesterol-free, is supported by Oxnard, Calif.-based Natural Choice Foods with discounts, sampling, and advertising.

For more information contact Natural Choice Foods national sales manager James Curley at (773) 338-6655 or jfcurley@sbcglobal.net.

Turtle Mountain: Purely Decadent Dairy-Free Pints Pomegranate Chip

Leave it to Eugene, Ore.-based Turtle Mountain to come up with a trendy line extension that hits all the right health and indulgence buttons: Purely Decadent Dairy Free Pints Pomegranate Chip, consisting of a pomegranate dairy-free ice cream teeming with crisp flakes of rich dark chocolate.

Despite its sinful taste, however, the vegan and choiesteroland trans-fat-free produa, which is made with organic ingredients, boasts less than half the fat of superpremium dairy ice cream and just 65 percent ofthe calories. For more information contact Turtle Mountain v.p. sales Kevin Brouillette at (541) 338-9400 or kbrouillette@turtlemountain.com.