Several Food Products Take Edison Honors

As more than 800 marketing and advertising executives looked on, the American Marketing Association (AMA) presented its 1998 Edison Best New Products Awards at New York's Mariott Marquis hotel. The Edison awards evaluate products based technological innovation, societal impact, and market success. About 4,000 senior marketing and advertising executives consider more than 10,000 products to determine winners.

"New product marketing is undeniably one of the most difficult tasks faced by American business today," said Charles Madden, chairman of the board of the AMA (Chicago). "The Edison awards symbolize the drive to remain at the forefront of product innovation and creativity."

Included among the gold, silver and bronze award winners were several food products introduced in 1998.

• Advantage\10, Golden Valley Foods (Edina, MN). This line of low-fat vegetarian prepared foods was designed to address consumers' dietary concerns. Products in the line range from full entrees, pizzas and burgers, to snack bars and smoothies.
• Arm & Hammer Dental Care Gum, Church & Dwight Co., Inc. (Princeton, NJ). Sugar-free gums long have been regarded by dentists as teeth-cleaning aids. Church & Dwight believes it has breathed new life into that concept with this gum that includes baking soda as a key cleansing ingredient. The gum's success factored into the company's 20% increase in overall sales in the first nine months of 1998, according to the company.
• Birds Eye Chicken Viola!, Agrilink Foods Vegetable Co. (Green Bay, WI). According to the 1998 Better Homes & Gardens Food Trends Survey, half of all home cooks report they would like the preparation of a home-cooked meal to take less than 30 minutes. In response, Birds Eye introduced this line of ready-in-10-minutes meals.
• Milk Chugs, Dean Foods Co. (Franklin Park, IL). Although the milk industry has seen a decline in overall consumption during the past two decades, Milk Chugs have bucked that trend in the single-serve category, boosting those sales overall 25% (for certain sizes) to 200% (for some flavors), according to company figures. Dean Foods believes Chugs' portable, resealable plastic bottle design has fostered a new image for milk as a "beverage you can have at any time, anywhere," says Sylvia Oriatti, Dean's director of marketing.
• Motts Fruitsations, Motts, Inc. (Stamford, CT). To jump-start stagnant growth in the single-serve applesauce market, Mott's relaunched its fruit-blended sauces under a new moniker: Fruitsations. The new name and see-through packaging helped it develop greater recognition as a snack product, says Peggy Mann Berenblum, senior product manager at Mott's.
• Post Oreo O's Cereal, Kraft Foods (Tarrytown, NY). Post introduced Oreo O's nationwide in July, attempting to recreate the sensation of dunking cookies in milk. Company surveys report that nine in 10 people who have tried the cereal said it tasted like the cookies, and three-quarters said they would buy it. Post has managed to engineer a cereal made of oat, corn and wheat that provides 10 essential vitamins and minerals, is cholesterol-free and has 2.5 grams of fat per serving.
• Ruffles WOW! Potato Chips, Frito-Lay, Inc. (Plano, TX). Frito-Lay wants to keep consumers snacking, but also wants to cater to their desire for fewer calories per serving. Its solution: Chips made with Procter & Gamble's Olean.
• Sara Lee Cheesecake Bites, Sara Lee Bakery (Chicago, IL). Even health-conscious consumers treat themselves with rich, creamy indulgences—especially those that fit conveniently into their busy lives. "When we began this project," says Ed Haft, president of Sara Lee Bakery's Grocery Div., "we sought to develop a line that would meet our quality standards, respond to consumers' need for convenience and enable people to eat our products immediately out of the freezer." Indeed, company research shows that 65% of all Cheesecake Bites are eaten within three feet of the freezer. To read more about the development of this product click here.
• WhipperSnapple, Triarc Beverage Group (White Plains, NY). Fruit smoothies are popular among Gen X-ers and baby boomers, but the made-while-you-wait version can be expensive, and a variety of fruit isn't always on hand for an at-home version. Each WhipperSnapple flavor is a blend of milk and fruit juice.

Exploring other winners
Food products also sprinkled the silver and bronze Edison Award winners. Silver awards included: Amy's Pocket Sandwiches, Amy's Kitchen, Inc. (Santa Rosa, CA); Brummel & Brown Spread, Lipton (Englewood Cliffs, NJ); Freschetta Sauce-Stuffed Crust Pizza, Freschetta Foods, Tony's Pizza Service (Marshall, MN); Gatorade Frost Thirst Quencher, The Quaker Oats Co., (Chicago); Kellogg's Smart Start, Kellogg Co. (Battle Creek, MI); Lay's Deli-Style Potato Chips, Frito-Lay, Inc. (Plano, TX); Orville Redenbacher's Double Feature Microwave Popcorn, Hunt-Wesson, Inc. (Fullerton, CA); Reesesticks, Hershey Chocolate USA, (Hershey, PA); and Sweet Crispers, Nabisco Biscuit Co. (East Hanover, NJ).

Among the Bronze award winners were: Dannon Natural Spring Water, Groupe Danone, (Stamford, CT); Farmland Dairies Pasture Perfect, Farmland Dairies (Wallington, NJ); General Foods International Coffees Cappuccino Coolers, Kraft Foods, Inc.; and Nestle Treasures, Nestle Chocolate & Confections (Glendale, CA.)