New Product Trends<br>Category Analysis: Advancing Vegetarianism
The increase in sales of vegetarian foods has been bolstered by more than just the buying habits of the American consumer. The sales increase also reflects efforts by suppliers to introduce new, better-tasting and more interesting vegetarian products. While many of today's popular vegetarian food products originated in the health and natural foods channel, the entry of companies such as Kraft, ConAgra, General Mills, Dean Foods and Kellogg's into the category has clearly been responsible for the sizeable gains in mainstream supermarket retail sales, thanks to their more significant resources for product development, distribution and marketing.
At the same time, there has been a growing trend to increase consumption of soy products as researchers continue to ascribe positive health benefits to foods rich in this ingredient. Substituting soymilk for dairy milk is one way in which consumers have upped their soy intake; other tactics include the use of a range of products rich in soy, from energy bars to tofu. Another growing issue for many Americans is an increased sensitivity to dairy, and while lactose intolerance may not be an epidemic, it is a concern, especially among older consumers, African-Americans and Asians.