NEW FOOD PRODUCT AVALANCHE

Nowhere is the fiercely competitive battle among consumer-products companies more apparent than in the fight to obtain supermarket shelf space--the high stakes stage where shoppers’ preferences ultimately decide an item’s fate.

The contest has resulted in an avalanche of new food and household products that have taxed the analysts’ ability to chart their rapid growth, besieged grocers with ever-expanding categories and presented consumers with cavernous food stores filled with a dizzying array of choices.

Fueling this bull market of innovation and imitation is the need for established firms to increase sales each year. These major corporate efforts are also joined by the presence of entrepreneurs who hope to provide Americans with that one essential item they may now be lacking.

“For the first four months of 1987, new product (introductions) are steaming ahead at a torrid 24% increase (over the corresponding period last year),” reports DFS-Dorland New Product News.

The monthly trade publication found that 3,152 different food, household or personal/beauty items made their debut between January and April--a record total, which exceeds the similar 1986 time period by more than 600. This type of expansive growth has gone unchecked for the past seven years.

“If a food manufacturer has only one winner (out of) 10, he’s way ahead in the new product derby,” said Martin Friedman, editor of New Product News. “Any company that succeeds only 10% of the time is doing a great job.”

The minimal performance ratio is permissible, Friedman claims, because just one popular item can generate $15 million in sales every year for a decade or longer. This type of track record can easily offset the losses generated from nine failed products, which are normally pulled from store shelves during the test marketing phase anyway. (Such preliminary studies usually cost about $1 million each.)

In the past few years, appeals to health consciousness have certainly been a major theme for many of these introductions. However, it has become clear that there are limits to the public’s desire for a risk-free diet, according to Friedman.

“There’s no question that some nutritional benefits are ‘fads’ and others are ‘permanents,’ ” he said. “In the fad category are sodium-reduced foods and caffeine-free beverages. While both continue to be important to many consumers, they have never reached the sales levels originally envisioned, except for the decaffeinated teas and coffees. The most certain permanent nutrition concern is low calorie.”

A look at some the more noteworthy or offbeat items coming to market provides an indication of where the food industry’s new product development is headed.

Entertaining Entrees--Proving that no processed food is exempt from an image upgrade is the Gorton Group’s recent improvement of the lowly fish stick. The firm, based in Gloucester, Mass., is now out with a crunchy version of this frozen standard. The company claims that the eight-ounce, 12-stick package offers the first microwave-safe container for frozen fish that ensures a crunchy coating, while at the same time preserves the moist tender meat inside.

Convenience is the appeal of Holly Farms Poultry Industries Inc.’s latest entry: a ready-to-eat, fresh, roasted chicken. The prepackaged birds are sold from the refrigerated meat case alongside traditional poultry selections, but arrive at stores already cooked. They contain no preservatives and sit atop microwave-safe trays for optional reheating. In addition to its no-fuss, no-work attributes, the cooked, whole chicken is also a means for Holly Farms to cut into the sales of those rotisserie-baked birds now sold warm-off-the-rack at most supermarkets. The Wilkesboro, N.C., company spent nearly a decade of research developing its cooked chicken at a purported cost of several million dollars. The breakthrough, however, is likely to be quickly imitated by the large West Coast poultry firms that serve Southern California.

Delta Catfish Processors did not go quite as far as Holly Farms in making things simple for consumers. But the firm also has ease-of-preparation in mind with its glazed and seasoned catfish fillets. Once heated, the coating applied to the fish liquefies into a sauce--of sorts. Four different versions of the farm-raised fish are now on line: lemon-peppered, garlic-buttered, blackened catfish classics and Cajun. The fish can be broiled, microwaved or baked.

Convenient Cajun--Delta Catfish represents only a portion of the burgeoning industry capitalizing on the interest in Cajun and Creole cooking. There have been dozens of different products from potato chips to mayonnaise that have laid some claim to this cuisine.

Even firms from other regions of the country are offering their versions of bayou cuisine. One such effort comes from the New England Shrimp Co. of Malden, Mass., which is promoting a Cajun-Style Spicy Cooked Shrimp. The crustaceans are cooked shell-on, packaged and then frozen. Consumers need only to thaw, peel and eat.

Indicating that Cajun’s popularity may not be just a spicy flash in the pan is an entire line of Hamburger Helper-type mixes, which emphasize the various aspects of New Orleans-style cooking. The dinners, from Wm. B. Reily & Co., are marketed under the Luzianne label and come in gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp Creole and etouffee variations. Any combination of meat, poultry or seafood can be added to the various mixes, which sell for $1.99.

If pre-spiced shrimp, catfish and etouffee seem to take the challenge out of cooking, then there is always Tony Chachere’s Famous Creole Seasoning, which has entered national distribution. The blend is suggested for use on all foods instead of salt and pepper. The combination of red pepper, garlic and other spices is the flagship of an entire line of mixes, seasoning and sauces produced by Creole Foods of Opelousas, La. Those who doubt this regional food’s staying power may rethink their position after considering that sales of this blend alone went from nothing in 1972 to the present level of more than 37,000 cases a month.

Variations on a Theme--Classics have also undergone modification in the new product bustle. One such change involves Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. The company first introduced its dark, syrupy condiment in 1835, and the firm has since became synonymous with the often mispronounced flavor enhancer. Now Lea & Perrins is offering a second version that is a significant departure from tradition. White Wine Worcestershire is a mustard-colored, delicate sauce suggested for those lighter foods that are overwhelmed by the original Worcestershire. It contains 50% white wine along with select herbs and spices.

Hawaiian Punch lacks the century-old history of Worcestershire, but it was the beverage of choice for at least a few generations of children. Del Monte recently introduced a sparkling, or carbonated, version of the fruit drink, according to New Product News. The addition of fizz will position Hawaiian Punch in the lucrative soft drink category, which has a much broader appeal than beverages aimed exclusively at adolescents or preteens.

A competitive counterpart of Hawaiian Punch is also making some moves. Hi-C, a product of Coca-Cola Co. Foods, will now be available in 100% juice blends. In the past the beverage was a fruit drink, with only a small percentage of juice. The company will still market Hi-C as a children’s product but says it is offering the 100% juice blends as a concession to parents’ nutritional concerns.

Sweets & Treats--The dessert and snack segment of the supermarket has been one of the more active growth areas.

One such offering that bridges both categories is the Keebler Co.’s latest frozen food item: Elfin Loaves. These two-ounce servings of snack bread made their debut recently and mark the company’s entry into the frozen food world. The loaves, named for the Keebler elves, come six to a package. Flavors are blueberry, banana, cinnamon-raisin and carrot. The bread can be thawed at room temperature or heated by conventional or microwave ovens. The company plans television advertising during August centering around the slogan, “New Keebler Elfin Loaves, just like Mom used to make . . . only smaller.”

Downsizing is also the route being taken by the Isaly-Klondike Co. The Clearwater, Fla., firm is nationally distributing Klondike Nuggets, a petite version of its regular chocolate-covered ice cream bars. Three different ice cream flavors, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, are double-dipped in chocolate. The one-ounce nuggets come 15 to a package and are protected in individual candy box-like trays.

Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream goes Klondike and Keebler one step further. The Waterbury, Vt., company is out with a Brownie Bar, which finds vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two slices of nut brownies.

Canines as Connoisseurs--Up until recently, gourmets who owned dogs were hard-pressed to find a pet chow that offered super-premium appeal. The Ralston Purina Co. is now filling the void with O.N.E., an acronym which stands for optimum nutritional effectiveness. Advertised as being for “dog owners who insist on the best,” the dry food is composed of chicken in a “highly digestible form.” Knowing that even man’s best friend can do without additives, the company claims that O.N.E. contains no artificial colors or flavors. This pioneer product in the previously unknown upscale dog food category retails at $4.19 for a four-pound bag.