ABOUT THIS REPORT INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? PLEASE CONTACT: Alison Eddershaw Senior Research Analyst.

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1 THE TOP 100 INNOVATIVE FOOD & DRINK PRODUCTS OF 2016

2 ABOUT THIS REPORT Welcome to our annual report of The Top 100 Innovative Food & Drink s of For this report, our shoppers picked up 1,601 new lines in 2016 of which we tested 415 of the most innovative and those likely to change the market. At Cambridge MR we like to do things a little bit differently, we long to know what real consumers think of the products out there so that we can stay in touch with the nation s tastes. For this report we used our Fast Foodfax data, our in house proprietary tool, to look at how the food industry is developing and the likely trends for the future. With over 20,000 consumer assessments of FMCG products built up over 30 years, there is no other agency that can tap into such a rich stream of market intelligence as this. A placing in the top 100 is determined by two key criteria. First, the Overall Score which is based on 10 key measures, rated out of 5 (totalling ), covers elements such as Noticeability in Store, Pre-Trial Interest, and Taste Ratings. Second, the post-trial Would-Buy Intention (out of 5). The intention for this report is to provide a valuable benchmark for understanding and evaluating the performance of new product creations in 2016 and the likely trends and consumer preferences in INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE? PLEASE CONTACT: Alison Eddershaw Senior Research Analyst Alison@cambridgemr.com Tel: Ext 1019 Adam Morris Junior Research Executive Adam@cambridgemr.com Tel: Ext 1013 WWW. CAMBRIDGEMR.COM

3 CONTENTS The Top 100 Innovative s in 10 Easy Bites 4 The Top 10 Innovative s of The Top 10 Innovative Own-Brand s of The Top 10 Innovative Branded s of Consumer Behaviour 8 Consumers Harder to Please? Price Potency Help Me be Healthy Who s Getting it Right and Who s Getting it Wrong? Clean Sweep for Aldi 9 Too Innovative?

4 THE TOP 100 INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS IN 10 EASY BITES 57% of all products that came within the top 100 were ambient 51% of all the top 100 products were branded A historical moment for the food industry; in 2016 more savoury than sweet products made it into the top 100 and were, on average, rated higher across all key measures 8 drink products made it to the top 100 with innovation being the determining factor, however, novelty alone was not sufficient enough to earn a place, with taste and value for money also key Value for money is vital for success. It is a factor that is particularly key in the Midlands, where value for money ratings were consistently lower than any other region Northerners continue to be most open to innovation, giving consistently higher product ratings across all 415 products tested year olds or the squeezed-middle, are the hardest age-band to please. Perhaps more challenged on a family budget and more lifestyle pressures The negativity attached to frozen food is changing, in 2016 it was rated as one of the healthiest categories of food and overall the best value for money Innovation was a main theme in 2016, but not as you would have thought. The top performing products came across as new but they were often only minor tweaks to already familiar products Clean eating; a nice idea, but actions speak louder than words. The highest rated products were the consumers favourite savoury and sweet products with lower fat and sugar levels. Only 6% of the top 100 products were fresh foods

5 THE TOP 10 INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS OF 2016 Price Type Rating 1 Crackers Melty Sweet Chilli 2 Hawaiian Dream Corner Chilled 3 Kettle Bites: Maple BBQ Wholegrain Waves 4 Hula Hoops Golden Hoops - Sour Cream & Chive 5 Ramiro Sweet Pointed Peppers 1. 6 Intensely Sweet Sable Grapes Bugles: Sourcream & Black Pepper Sugar Free Caramel Crunch Popcorn 1. 9 Cornflake Mini Chicken Fillets Frozen 10 Hellmans Australian Sweet Grill Sauce Ranking 2016 Suppliers Consistent theme of low fat, low salt and low calorie with a free from product making it to number 8 3 of the top 5 ranking products are salty snacks, specifically baked not fried produce appeals to a sweet tooth, with the only two fresh products to rank in the top 10 being specifically bred to be sweet Walkers, the most successful brand in the top 10, taking 2 top spots Price is critical; the average price of the top 10 products 0.94 cheaper than top 100 products Sweet or Sour are key attributes to many of these top 10 products

6 THE TOP 10 INNOVATIVE OWN-BRAND PRODUCTS OF 2016 Ranking 2016 Price Type Rating 5 Ramior Sweet Pointed Peppers 1. 6 Sweet Sable Grapes Cornflake Mini Chicken Fillets Frozen 12 California Market Garden Sourdough Pizza 1.87 Frozen 16 Spiced Normandy Apple & Pear Drink 2. Drink Trop : Red Berries Breaded Smoked Haddock Fishcakes Chilled Milk Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites Boneless Chicken Thighs - Lemon & Herb Frozen Luxury Mince Pies Suppliers On average, own-brand products had higher product ratings than branded products, despite a 10% decrease in their average score since 2015 Health mean scores for the top 10 own-brand products are, on average, 9% higher than the top 100 chilled and frozen foods take half of the spots within the top 10 own-brand products, a very different pattern to branded products

7 THE TOP 10 INNOVATIVE BRANDED PRODUCTS OF 2016 Ranking 2016 Price Type Rating 1 Crackers Melty Sweet Chilli 2 Hawaiian Dream Corner Chilled 3 Kettle Bites; Maple BBQ Whoegrain Waves 4 Hula Hoops Golden Hoops - Sour Cream & Chive 7 Bugles: Sour Cream & Black Pepper Freeist: Sugar Free Caramel Crunch Popcorn Hellman s Australian Sweet Grill Sauce 11 Cadbury Boost Bites 13 Ambrosia: Deluxe Custard - Vanilla with Creamy Caramel Aunt Bessie s Jam & Coconut Cake Suppliers GM Marketing and their product creep into 8th position, despite the ranks being so heavily dominated by well established brands Top 10 branded products were, on average, 0.54 cheaper than the top 10 own-brand products Real innovation is high risk; particularly at a time when retailers are reducing SKU levels. The top performing new lines were gentle tweaks on familiar brands and tastes

8 CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR CONSUMERS HARDER TO PLEASE RATINGS FOR FOOD INNOVATIONS LOWEST IN 8 YEARS Suppliers and retailers will need to work harder in 2017 to please an increasingly demanding consumer. For the first time in 8 years there was a YOY decrease in the average rating for new lines of food products. Either products are losing appeal or consumers are getting harder to please: it certainly seems this way within the Midlands where overall product ratings continue to drop YOY. POTENCY OF PRICE TOP 100 INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS ARE ON AVERAGE 94P CHEAPER THAN ALL PRODUCTS TESTED 100% 75% % 25% 0% 1. % Below norm % Matching the norm % Above the norm *Source: Performance of Food s Tested Since 2012 Measured Against Their Category Norm The top 100 products have become even cheaper in A rise in discounter retailers along with food price deflation, has made consumers even more price aware and keen to find the products at the best price Top 100 Top Top 20 Top 10 *Source: Average Price of All s Tested in 2016 HELP ME BE HEALTHY 77% CONSUMERS SEE CALORIE CONTENT AS IMPORTANT, OR DO THEY? New year new me not just for January, as consumers were more health obsessed in % of consumers see the number of ingredients within a product being important, meaning is an increased demand for simple cooking with raw foods*. In fact more than 16% of products tested by CMR in 2016 were overtly health-orientated. Avocado sales rose by one-third, along with kale, spinach and blueberries surging ahead in An innovation in fresh produce is happening with sweetness being the key characteristic it seems, looking at the top 10. Is this only one side of the same coin? s are now more than ever, being tailored to those interested in clean eating but lack the needed willpower to combat their sweet tooth. With more free-from lines (a category worth more than tea), along with low sugar, high protein, and low calorie being a recurring USP. It begs the question, are people simply looking for healthier alternatives, such as baked not fried, to reduce the guilt felt when guzzling on their favourite treats? *Source

9 WHO S GETTING IT RIGHT AND WHO S GETTING IT WRONG? Ranking 2016 Value for money Overall impression Intention to buy Better than whats out there *Source: Rating of All Standard s Tested Between Retailers in A CLEAN SWEEP FOR ALDI In 2015, Sainsbury's and Lidl were the top ranked retailers across these key measures but both have lowered the ranks dramatically this year, with Aldi and Morrisons taking the top spots. In 2015 Aldi was, on average, 4th place but is now first amongst all measured categories in Aldi even have the highest rated innovative own-label products followed by the highest conversion rate, reflecting which of their products tested made it to the top 100, compared to any other supermarket or retailer. TOO INNOVATIVE? Price Type Rating 411 Chicken Consomme Geo Endamame Beans Wheat and GF Sweet Potato Wraps Easy Bean Chickpea Crispbread: Moroccan Spice Eat Lean Protein Cheese 4.00 Chilled 12 Ranking 2016 Suppliers Despite 4 out of the 5 product innovations trying to follow the clean-eating health trend, all products: Under-performed in terms of taste and texture - central to a food s overall success Were not as easy on the pocket - an aspect key to a product s success in 2016 With many consumers looking at enjoying their regular foods without the calories, these products are clearly not meeting the standard. They are too niche and don t have the gentle tweaks the majority of consumers are looking for