In the Long Run: Food Product Introductions Buck Long-Term Trend

U.S. food and beverage product introductions have increased for most of the last decade and a half. A record 24,236 new products were introduced in 2007. In 2009, however, U.S. food and beverage product introductions fell by 3,519 to 19,047, the second consecutive yearly reduction and the largest in at least 15 years. Categories with the most new products included beverages and candy, gum, and snacks. Among the top 10 new product tags or claims, “premium” and “organic” experienced the largest declines, while private label product introductions set a new record in 2009.