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

Even so, at the very least these Editor's 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., microw a vable 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 well 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 of the 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.

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