Every year, The Grocer crunches the numbers on more than 110 product categories for our Top Products report to analyse the state of the UK grocery market. As part of that process, we identify a top launch for each category - and 2017 certainly delivered plenty of eye-catching NPD.

So, from free-range milk to pink gin and on-the-go breakfast pouches, here is our pick of 10 new product launches that sum up the key trends that shaped UK food & grocery in 2017.

goodness knows

1. Goodness Knows – Mars

Once again, health was one of the biggest drivers behind food launches this year, particularly in snacking. This launch from Mars Chocolate – the confectionery giant’s first new standalone brand in 20 years – reflects shoppers’ growing desire for treats that deliver a sweet hit while being ‘better for you’. Unveiled in July, Goodness Knows’ three variants are only about 19% dark chocolate. The rest is fruit, nuts, crispy rice and oats.


 

Off the Eaten Path UK range

2. Off the Eaten Path – PepsiCo

Speaking of healthy snacking, this four-strong range of veggie crisps arrived in June from the US, made with ingredients including white beans and green peas. PepsiCo is looking to position the crisps as ‘wholesome’ and ‘guilt-free’ – a sign of how hard snacks suppliers are working to stay relevant in these health-conscious times.

 


 

Oomi noodles

3. Oomi Protein Noodles – Oomi

Protein-enhanced foods were everywhere in 2017, and this trend – together with the rising popularity of Japanese foods – was reflected in the launch of Oomi noodles. They’re ready-to-eat and gluten-free, meaning they tap key trends around convenience and free-from, too. Containing 75% less carbs than regular noodles, Oomi are made with Japanese technology using Alaskan MSC-certified fish to deliver 12g of protein per 115g of noodles.


 

Bud light

4. Bud Light – AB InBev

Yes, craft beer was a huge booze trend in 2017. But that’s not the whole story – because this launch from AB InBev managed to pack a punch with decidedly anti-craft credentials. Even its ads (for a ‘lighthearted beer for a try-hard world’) seemed to poke fun at craft beer-swilling hipsters. So far, Bud Light has racked up £21m, making it lager’s third-fastest grower this year.


 

Hellmans ketchup

5. Hellmann’s Ketchup with Honey – Unilever

2017 wasn’t an easy year for ketchup. Value sales of mayonnaise overtook sales of the red stuff for the first time, leaving ketchup brands scrambling to reinvent themselves. But this April launch from Unilever shows there’s still plenty of potential in red sauce. It contains 30% less sugar and 36% more tomatoes than standard ketchup, targeting shoppers looking for healthy, sustainably sourced products.


 

butternut squash stars tesco

6. Butternut Squash Stars – Tesco

They caused outrage when they first hit Tesco shelves – with critics seething at the audacity of cutting up veg into cutesy shapes. But don’t listen to the haters; these stars tick all the proverbial boxes for fresh NPD. Encouraging kids to eat more fruit & veg? Tick. Convenient for busy parents? Tick. Helping to tackle food waste by letting producers sell more of their crop? Boom.


 

Lucozade Sport FitWater

7. Fitwater – Lucozade Ribena Suntory

Bottled water was one of grocery’s standout performers in 2017, so it’s little wonder more big brands are trying to get a piece of the action. Fitwater, hailed as LRS’s “most ambitious” NPD in almost a decade, has health and wellbeing-obsessed shoppers set firmly in its crosshairs.

 


 

Quaker to Go lineup

8. Quaker Oats To Go – PepsiCo

Bowls are so last century. Today’s young go-getters are far more likely to eat breakfast on the hoof by chewing on a biscuit bar or sucking cereal from a pouch. Enter Quaker Oats To Go. It’s a two-part range comprising the biscuit-like Breakfast Square (two variants in microwaveable packaging that allows the product to be heated in 10 seconds) and the pouched Fruit & Oat Squeeze, an ambient yoghurt-based trio. Bang on trend.


 

arla organic farm milk

9. Organic Farm Milk – Arla

Arla harked back to a bygone age with the launch of Arla Organic Farm Milk, an unhomogenised milk topped with a layer of cream, just like the milkman used to deliver. The aim was to make organic “more accessible to all”. In a cute piece of repositioning, Arla moved to cash in on the free-range boom by rebranding the product as Organic Free Range Milk. It’s the biggest dairy drink launch of the year, having hit sales of £8.7m.


 

gordons pink gin

10. Gordon’s Pink Gin –  Diageo

Who said pink was just for girls? Gordon’s Pink launched late in the year to a palpable explosion of enthusiasm, and has already amassed over £3m in value sales largely from limited distribution. Now it’s moving into a wider range of stores, with listings in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Tesco. Diageo is hardly the first to spot the potential in pink – premium brands like Pinkster have been in growth since the gin boom began – but it’s the first to do it at an accessible price point.