Ten trends to watch in packaged goods in 2007

As the calendar turns to 2007, there are several up-and-coming trends in new products that figure to ring in the New Year including these ten top picks: Calorie Burning Beverages Wouldn't it be great if what you eat or drink could actually help you burn off weight instead of put it on? Now it can thanks to the launch of a couple of new breakthrough beverages that are creating an exciting new beverage niche: calorie-burning drinks. New in the USA, Celsius is billed as "Earth's first calorie burning soda" and uses green tea with EGCG, ginger, caffeine and other ingredients to raise metabolism to burn calories. Coca-Cola and Nestle (through its Nestea brand) have paired up to launch Enviga Energy Drink in the USA and Europe. Enviga also burns calories with green tea extracts with EGCG, an ingredient we suspect we will be hearing a lot more about in 2007. Satiety-Enhancing Foods & Drinks Satiety is a little word that could have a big impact on the food and beverage marketplace. The word literally means the "feeling of fullness" and disappearance of appetite experienced after consuming a large meal. Food and beverage makers are just starting to launch new satiety-enhancing foods and drinks to keep consumers from snacking their way into obesity. New in the USA, LightFull Satiety Smoothie is high in fiber and protein, yet has only 70 calories per 11 fl. oz. serving. In Europe, Danone Shape Lasting Satisfaction Yogurt features a unique formulation of fiber and protein to help one feel satisfied, longer. Make It Mobile Apple's iPod has revolutionized the music industry by making music more portable than ever. Packaged goods makers are also jumping on the mobility bandwagon by tweaking their products to make them better suited for "on the go" lifestyles. Tylenol Go Tabs are chewable tablets for fast headache relief "wherever, whenever." Tag Body Shots Portable Body Spray is perfect for the locker, gym bag, car or anywhere else where "you need to freshen up on the fly." Frito-Lay's new Doritos Action Cups offer crush-proof packaging for chips for "on the go" enjoyment. All three products are new in the USA. Local Sourcing of Ingredients We live in a world were virtually everything can be "outsourced." Even so, there is growing evidence that consumers are increasingly attracted to locally grown and raised foods. In the USA, the number of farmers' markets increased 79% from 1994 to 2002, says the USDA. Fresher food is one draw and so is helping the environment. Moreover, the concept of "Food Miles" is just beginning to surface, a concept that communicates the high-energy consumption required to bring foods from far-flung areas to market. It isn't too far fetched to speculate that we might see carbon ratings on packaged foods & beverages to encourage energy conservation and fight global warming. These ratings could express the carbon released into the atmosphere to grow, package and transport goods to market. Kids' Food Gets Healthful Marketing foods to kids is getting more complicated. Not only are schools dumping so-called "junk" foods, but marketers like Disney are establishing their own healthy food guidelines. That's good news to companies like Pittsburg, TX-based Pilgrims Pride with its EatWellStayHealthy Kids Chicken Breast Nuggets, the first to feature the word "healthy" on the packaging. And just to show healthy doesn't have to mean boring or tasteless, new Fizzy Fruit Sparkling Fresh Grapes (USA) add carbonation to grapes for a new snacking taste sensation for kids. Antioxidants Commonly found in fruits and vegetables as well as in foods like tea, cacao and coffee, antioxidants have become the darlings of the food industry of late. And why not? Antioxidants protect the body from disease and can even slow down the aging process. Increased awareness of antioxidants helped unleash a boom in dark chocolate products in 2006 and has the potential to elevate the fortunes of coffee and tea, too. Tea, in fact, is beginning to work its way into food products like Luna Tea Cakes and the T-Bar Green Tea Nutrition Bar (both USA), the latter with 3 grams of green tea in every bar. "Superfruits" like goji berries, acai and pomegranate are also high in antioxidants and are positioned for mainstream acceptance. Immunity Boosting Foods & Drinks Flu season is nearly upon us as is the ritual of the annual flu shot. There is growing realization, however, that some foods and beverages can give the body the body a healthy "shot" to the immune system to guard against sickness. Probiotic foods that help regulate digestive tract health including cultured dairy drinks and yogurts are leading the way. But also get ready for a new generation of immunity boosting, probiotic juices, snack bars and even breakfast cereals as food makers find ways to add the benefits of dairy cultures to non-dairy foods. Kashi's new Vive Probiotic Digestive Wellness Cereal (USA) demonstrates this expansion. "For One" Food & Drink Options One may be the loneliest number when it comes to dining, but that isn't stopping packaged food and beverage makers from reaching out to single person households. This long-ignored market gained attention in 2006 from launches like Green Giant Just for One! Frozen Vegetables, Baker's Inn Short Loaf Sliced Bakery Bread (both USA) and Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Half a Sandwich (UK). With research showing that the average number of persons per household has slipped to barely more than two people in most developed countries, this trend could be primed for action in 2007. "Smart" Products and Packages Self-diagnosing products could be a promising new development in packaged goods. Pfizer's new Listerine Agent Cool Blue Plaque-Detecting Rinse (USA) helps locate plaque in the mouth by staining it blue, making a visible target for kids. Also using color as a health-benefiting tool is Pet Ecology Scientific Professional Cat Litter (USA). This cat litter changes color to indicate the presence of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. New "smart" technology may also begin showing up in product labels very soon, in the form of labels that change color to indicate the proper serving temperature or the freshness of a product. "Better for You" Beer Blame it on the "French Paradox." With beer losing ground to wine in many markets around the world, beer makers are beginning to fight back with new products promising new health benefits for beer. Stampede Light is claimed to be the "first ever government approved vitamin beer" for the USA market with its B-vitamins, folic acid and folate. In Germany, Karlesberg Braueri is out with a pair of new functional beers aimed at women. Karla Well-B, for instance, is made with lecithin, folic acid and other vitamins. Karla Balance mixes hops with lemon balm. Both products have just 1% alcohol by volume. Beer may never be the same.