Hold on to your stomachs, folks. Last year's most popular new products included a self-rising pizza crust and baked potato chips, which may have helped boost three new indigestion drugs into the top 10 list.
"Pizza and chips and antacids - is there some connection there? You tell me," quipped Carol Elitov, a vice president at Chicago-based Information Resources Inc., a product-tracking firm.Luvs Stretch diapers led the top 10 product introductions, with $435 million in sales, followed by Scott 1000 paper products at $309 million and Pepcid AC with $248 million in sales.
Many Americans also appeared to be trying to kick the habit by purchasing Nicorette gum, which took fourth place by ringing up $189 million in sales.
That was followed by Baked Lays potato chips, $167 million; Pampers Premium, $162 million, and Tagamet HB/200, $155 million. Rounding out the top 10 were Bounty Medleys, $126 million; DiGiorno self-rising pizza, $120 million, and Zantac 75, $116 million.
The findings, compiled from grocery scanning information, were among studies conducted for the supermarket industry's annual meeting here.