Dive Brief:
- Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), released its 2013 New Product Pacesetters report on the most successful new brand launches in 2013. The top 100 food and beverage launches of 2013 averaged $35 million in year one dollar sales.
- The biggest selling point for new products was an appeal to health benefits, with seven of the top 10, and 73 of the top 100 food and beverage products launched in 2013 making claims of a healthful nature.
- According to the report, “dieting" has been supplanted by “nutritional management," though lower calories and less sugar are key in appealing to customers, as is a shorter list of ingredients.
Dive Insight:
Susan Viamari, editor of Thought Leadership, IRI, summed up the direction that successful products have defined for 2013: "Innovation in 2013 is all about healthier-for-you products." Among the top ten products, three were yogurt lines with an appeal as a low-fat food with nutritional benefits. Atkins frozen meals also nabbed a place in the top ten. The health benefit trend has proven to be a good formula for sales for companies like Inventure.
Nevertheless, not all products on the top ten list are obviously healthy. For example, Tostitos Cantina Tortilla Chips, which pack 150 calories into each serving, had $100.3 million in sales. That indicates that a good portion of American consumers are still willing to forego health considerations when selecting snack foods.