The annual Product of the Year survey canvassed 12,000 consumers. A total of 16% said they would like to see aerosol ham as a future innovation, with 5% declaring it to be the “next big thing”.
Almost half (46%) opted for self-cooking meals, while 39% wanted non-melting ice cream and 27% had a hankering for pre-toasted toast.
The survey aimed to highlight what shoppers regarded as the best innovations, including homecare and health and beauty products, with low calorie and convenience foods capturing votes. Products gaining the most votes won awards in their respective categories.
Tropicana Trop50 and Müllerlight Turkish Delight came top in the drinks and healthy yogurts. Tropicana Trop 50 boasts half the sugar and calorie content of regular fruit juice, while Müllerlight Turkish Delight claims less than 99 calories a pot.
‘Delighted’
Tropicana marketing director Adrian Baty said he was “delighted” with the response.
A total of 36% of survey respondents cited ‘minus calorie’ food as a product they would most like to try.
Products with multi-functional or time-saving features, such as Dolmio Lasagne Kits and Knorr Gravy Pots, both of which claimed authentic home-made flavours and quality, won innovation awards for convenience meal and gravy/stock respectively.
“Our new kits not only make this delicious dish easier to cook at home, but also enable consumers to make it just the way they like it, without any fuss or need to buy lots of different ingredients,” said Dolmio UK brand manager Jordan Holmes.
Other brands gaining awards included Mars Chocolate’s Malteaser’s Merryteaser variant, for most innovative seasonal product, Benecol Spreads in the spreads category and Nestlé’s Nescafé Azera in the coffee category.