In addition, more products are being eaten as a center-of-the-plate item that once were only accompaniments to meals, such as vegetable combos, traditional starch-based side dishes and soups.

What's also changed in the Meals and Meal Components category is the number of products geared just to breakfast. Again, it used to be that those products would be limited mainly to waffles and pancakes, with the occasional Egg McMuffin imitator. But no more.

Stouffer’s extended its Skillets Sensations line with an ovenable version, aptly named Oven Sensations.

For those times when consumers are going to cook a meal, they are probably going to choose one of the many meal kits or bowl meals that are offered. That trend, too, continued in 2000. While most of the new products were simply me-too items, one that is a logical brand extension came from Stouffer Foods. It extended its Skillet Sensations line with an Oven Sensations line.

Following the success of its Rice Bowls, Uncle Ben’s has launched a line of Noodle Bowls.

On the Side...or Not

Several companies introduced organic pastas, including Mrs. Leeper's with its Organic Spaghetti Eddie line, and New Organics, as part of its Richard Scarry product line for children. Whey Cool Pasta was an organic entry that was fortified with whey or soy protein for body-builder types looking for new protein sources.

Soy showed up in Three Palm Enterprises' Palmettina's Soy Italianne Pasta, which promised to provide the FDA-mandated 6.5 g of soy protein per serving. Poatghettio Potato Pasta from Natural American Ginseng crossed the line between side dishes. While not the first potato pasta, it is one of the most oddly named.

In the spuds subcategory, there were a number of convenient new options but no groundbreaking introductions. The closest revolutionary idea would have to be Lamb-Weston's Inland Valley Portionable Potatoes. These mashed potatoes pellets come in 2-lb. bags and only need water to become a plate of fluffy potatoes. The MinuteBaker Potato was another interesting idea that caught our eye. This baked potato retails in a plastic box with sour cream, butter, salt and pepper, ready to be warmed in a microwave. It can be eaten as a complete meal or as an accompaniment.

Couscous, Thai noodles and basmati rice all made appearances last year as foreign foods pushed further into the mainstream. We predict a good deal more of these types of products down the road. Maybe there will even be some from a major label or two.

Beans showed some activity in 2000. Many of the introductions were of the baked bean variety, with maple and vegetarian varieties from B & G, and maple, bacon, and black bean varieties from Bush's. But the bean making the most news is, of course,
the soybean. In this category, it's called edamame, however. Seapoint Farms, Frieda's and SunRich were just three of the companies offering soybeans in the shell, dubbed edamame in Japan. They are designed to be eaten as a side dish or even as a snack, straight out of the pod. Frieda's also introduced a shelled variety for snacking or as a side dish.

The big thing we didn't see in this Side Dish category that we have in previous years is the prepackaged salad or ready-to-eat salad greens. That's not because there is less of a demand for them, we believe, but rather because the market is quite saturated.

Saucy!

More products got squeezed than ever before. H.J. Heinz' E-Z Squeeze ketchup bottle, however, was eclipsed by the greenness of the ketchup inside. Other companies, too, put the squeeze on their condiments, such as Kraft's Claussen pickle relish in a squeeze bottle, and the continued plethora of salad dressings in similar containers.

In general (like in past years), flavors were spicier and more flavorful. Olive oils were flavored with orange, lemon and more; bread dippers were loaded with savory spices; and foods with an ethnic twist grew in strength.

Although we saw very few "healthy" products in this category, one from Procter & Gamble stands out. Its Crisco CookSmart cooking oil is made with plant sterol esters, designed to reduce cholesterol.

For the coming months, look for more sauces with recipes for making unique, ethnic dishes; even more celebrity foods (maybe it's time for an Iron Chef line); and continued portability in sauces and other condiments.

Soup's On

Another fun offering that may be a harbinger of things to come was International Culinary Group's Chef M. J. Brando's Edible Bread Crocks, which come with French Onion Soup, Herbed Chicken with Vegetables or Beef Chili.

For dessert, toppings tended toward the fruity as opposed to the chocolatey. Nuts also figured prominently.

In the coming months, watch for a continuation of intense flavors, but perhaps with a fruit twist instead of a chocolate/caramel/nut twist. Also, perhaps 2001 will be the year we'll see more dairy-based refrigerated dessert items a la what is so popular in Europe. PF