"Drinkable" Cereal in a Cup and Cholesterol-Reducing Orange Juice Among 2003's Top New Product Innovations

An innovative new cereal cup from Kellogg called Drink'n Crunch that mixes cereal and milk in the mouth (not in the cup) was one of the more innovative products that consumers saw for the first time in 2003. This and a new cholesterol-reducing orange juice called Minute Maid Heart Wise were among the top new product innovations of 2003, according to the Productscan Online database of new products at http://www.productscan.com.

Naples, NY (PRWEB) December 20, 2003

The U.S. economy roared back to life in 2003 and so did consumer packaged goods companies who collectively launched a record number of new products in 2003. All told, packaged goods firms churned out 33,678 new food, beverage, health & beauty aids, household and pet products during 2003, according to the Productscan® Online database of new products (http://www.productscan.com) from Naples, NY-based Marketing Intelligence Service. 2003’s new product total was 6% above 2002’s total count and well ahead of the previous record year for new products which was in 2001.

A near doubling of no- and low-carbohydrate product launches in 2003 helped pad the year’s new product count as companies rushed to jump on the bandwagon of the year’s hottest new products trend. 2003 was also a big year for pet products with product launches up over 68% from 2002’s tally. Despite all of the new products, relatively few were truly new and different. Just 8.5% of 2003’s new products earned an Innovation Rating. Productscan Online’s Innovation Ratings tally the number of new products that offer breakthrough features or benefits in any one of the following six areas: formulation, positioning, packaging, technology, creating a new market, and merchandising.

TOP DOMESTIC NEW PRODUCT INNOVATIONS OF 2003

If there was a theme that typified 2003’s “Build a Better Mousetrap” award winners, it would be saving time and making everyday life simpler and easier. The ten new products below were chosen by Productscan Online as the year’s top innovations from the more than 30,000 new U.S. and Canadian introductions reported in 2003 by the database.

Cereal is great in the morning, but milk and cereal aren’t well suited for travel. Battle Creek, MI-based Kellogg Company has fixed that problem with an ingenious new cup for its Kellogg Drink’n Crunch Portable Cereals. The cup is actually two cups in one; an inner cup contains cereal while an outer cup is to be filled with milk. The cereal and milk mix in your mouth, not in the cup, so the cereal never gets soggy. All this without a spoon or a bowl. Look for Drink’n Crunch in popular Kellogg cereal varieties like Froot Loops Minis Low Fat Granola, Tony’s Frosted Crunch and Low Fat Granola.

Chocolate lovers have a reason to celebrate with Hershey Foods’ newest innovation. The Hershey, PA-based chocolate maker set the candy market on its ear with the launch of Hershey’s Swoops Candy Slices. Shaped like potato chips, Swoops are a brand new shape in chocolate to “envelop your mouth in chocolate bliss.” Better yet, the slices are packaged in six-count cups that easily fit into a lunch box or bag for a quick treat. Try Swoops in flavors like Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, Reese’s Peanut Butter Candy and York Mint Candy flavors.

Health experts estimate that half of all American adults have blood cholesterol levels that are higher than they should be. That number could drop if Coca-Cola’s Houston, TX-based Minute Maid Company has anything to do with it. The company’s new Minute Maid Premium Heart Wise 100% Pure Orange Juice can lower cholesterol levels with just two 8 fl. oz. servings of orange juice per day. An 8 fl. oz. serving of Heart Wise contains 1 gram of plant sterols, the ingredient responsible for the cholesterol reducing effect.

Tis the season for holiday baking and that means cakes and cookies. Now there’s a new way to make them come out of the oven better than ever with new Pam for Baking with Flour. Featuring flour as an ingredient, this one-step product combines no-stick Pam with flour so that everything from cakes and muffins to bread and brownies turns out just right with less cleanup.

According to Johnson & Johnson, the maker of new Aquafresh Floss ‘n’ Cap Fluoride Toothpaste, just 2.5% of U.S. households floss regularly. Floss ‘n’ Cap, a new toothpaste that contains floss inside of a cap located at the top of each toothpaste tube, makes it hard to forget to floss. The unique dispenser holds shred-resistant floss and detaches from the toothpaste cap should one finish the toothpaste first.

In a world of disposable products, why do most Americans re-use their toilet brushes? Maybe they won’t for long if Bonita Springs, FL-based Prestige Brands International is successful with its new Comet Clean and Flush Flushable Toilet Cleaning System. Convenient and sanitary, the system consists of a cleaning wand and five flushable, cleaner-infused brush tips. Since the Comet cleaning solution is contained in the brush tip, there’s no need for liquid cleaners. Simply snap on the brush tip, clean the bowl and flush the brush tip down the toilet when finished.

Plastic wrap is a product that can be frustrating to use, especially if it sticks to itself. New Glad Press’n Seal Sealable Plastic Wrap is different. Featuring Griptex adhesive right on the sheet, Press ‘n Seal sticks where you want it, when you want it for a tighter seal than ordinary wraps. Oakland, CA-based Clorox Company invites consumers to take the Press’n Seal challenge by covering a cup filled with liquid and turning the cup on its side to demonstrate the spillproof seal. Kids, don’t try this at home!                                                                                            

Shaving is a time-consuming and messy task that many women hate. The Schick Intuition Refillable Razor from Milford, CT-based Pfizer, Inc. simplifies the job by smoothing and soothing the skin while shaving. The razor’s triple blades are actually set in the center of the Skin Conditioning Solid bar so that the razor lathers and shaves in one easy step. Intuition comes in Sensitive Skin and Normal to Dry Skin varieties.

Tough cleaning jobs like crayons on walls, scuff marks on floors, soap scum in bathtubs and set-in dirt on stoves and refrigerators are a challenge for any cleaner. Now there’s a single cleaner that will tackle these and a multitude of other tough cleaning tasks. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is a sponge-like “eraser” that is made of a unique cleaning material that penetrates surface grooves where dirt and grime get trapped. It easily and thoroughly breaks up tough dirt, lifting it away from surfaces after being activated with water. That’s right. This cleaner uses nothing but water. These disposable cleaning pads are new from Cincinnati, OH-based Procter & Gamble.

A little bit of bleach can go a long way, especially bleach packaged in big plastic bottles. Now there’s a better way to bleach just what you want to and leave everything else alone. The Clorox Bleach Pen is a gel pen that is ideal for laundry and household use. Equipped with a dual tip, the pen is perfect for stains like grass, red wine and tea on most white fabrics or around the house on grout and caulking or areas around sinks and tubs.

TOP INTERNATIONAL NEW PRODUCT INNOVATIONS OF 2003

International product launches never cease to amaze. Among the innovations that didn’t make this year’s mousetrap list were asparagus-flavored cottage cheese from Germany and a bird’s nest beverage from Thailand. The top innovations presented below prove that some of the most intriguing innovations come from overseas markets.

Comfort Fast Dry Fabric Conditioner is a liquid fabric softener innovation from the United Kingdom that actually helps clothes dry faster by removing more water from clothing during the washing machine’s spin cycle.

Cheese makes a great snack, but sold in block form, it’s not convenient. Dalter Parmi Petales Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese is a brick of cheese mounted on a circular grater; simply turn the brick to cut the cheese. It’s new in France.

Kids love frozen novelties, but they melt quickly in hot weather and often end up on clothing. Not with Iceland Kids Crew Jelly Lollies which is new in the United Kingdom. When removed from the freezer, this frozen confection begins to defrost and slowly turns into a fruit jelly while maintaining its shape.

With the worst flu season in a long time upon us, the world may indeed be ready for the Thermofocus Infra Red Thermometer that is new in the United Kingdom. This thermometer is a battery-operated device that detects infrared radiation from the surface of the forehead to render an accurate reading.

Want to make your own wine at home, but don’t have the time or expertise? No problem with new Jacoby Traubenmost zum Selbermachen von Federweissem. New in Germany, this grape juice product is packaged in an aseptic container with a plastic screw cap. Once opened, yeast contained in the cap drops into the juice, which then turns into wine.

Marketing Intelligence Service Ltd., based in Naples, New York and founded in 1968, is a provider of new product information to industry via its Product Alert® and International Product Alert® publications and its Productscan® Online database of new products — the world’s largest online database of new products with nearly 1 million new products from 1980 to the present — located at http://www.productscan.com.

Note: For a high-resolution image (2.2 mb) of 2003’s mousetrap products, click on http://www.productscan.com/mouse03.jpg

###

Contacts:

Tom Vierhile (ext 28), General Manager

Suzanna Eygabroat (ext 17), Information Center Manager

Marketing Intelligence Service, Ltd.

6473D Route 64

Naples, NY 14512

Toll Free: 800-836-5710

Phone: 585-374-6326

Fax: 585-374-5217

E-Mail: mi@productscan.com