New products

Thousands of new food and drinks products are launched onto the retail market of the developed countries every year. The UK sees about 3,000 branded launches a year and at least 1,500 more products introduced under retailer and wholesaler own brands. In the USA over 12,000 products are launched annually and in Japan over 20,000. The majority of these products are not truly new but are more likely to be range extensions or products along well established lines. Novel Products in ’98 is the latest report in an annual series from Leatherhead Food Research Association. The report is available from the Publications Department, price £175.