From infusions and iced tea to speciality instants and high caffeine offerings... The better-for-you factor is one of the key motivators in the rush of new products to the marketplace. Ingredients with health-giving benefits, vibrant packaging and convenient pack formats are being used to woo consumers away from soft drinks. Twinings says infusions is a growth sector spurred by npd focusing on "ingredients of the moment". Volume sales are up 15.2% year-on-year, the rising star being herbal variants [AC Nielsen]. Twinings has launched two blends incorporating herbs ­ echinacea and honey, and camomile honey and vanilla. Recently Clipper brought out four organic fruit infusions containing real fruit ­ red fruits, lemon and ginger, orange and coconut, and wild berry, the latter two winning awards in last month's Great Taste Awards. Another area of growth is iced teas. Twinings UK retail marketing manager Elizabeth Edwards says: "Iced tea has had a strong year mainly due to increased in home consumption which led to Twinings launching a one litre version of iced tea this summer. "The 250cl walkican' product also continues to grow. "We see huge potential with impulse purchase and retailers can expect to see new marketing directly aimed at increasing sales." Speciality instants are also making inroads with instant cappuccino gaining a loyal consumer following. Douwe Egberts sits at the top of ACNielsen's new product monitor with a sweetened and unsweetened cappuccino, in response to the café society driving consumption of more premium coffee drinks. Both Nestlé and Kraft Foods have also relaunched their frothy coffee. Nestlé's in home coffee category manager Simon Freedman says that before, products in home could never compete with out of home. "The froth is far better now." Instant cappuccino, says Kraft Foods, is the rising star of the instant coffee category and although only 3% of the sector is the only one showing volume and value growth. Kraft Foods expects Maxwell House cappuccino to grow 35% year-on-year. Bringing a buzz to the marketplace are products packed with caffeine and other energy giving ingredients with youth appeal. Food Brands Group launched Percol Rocket Fuel instant coffee with natural guarana two years ago and this has now spawned caffeine and natural guarana packed Rocket Fuel tea bags and ground coffee in jazzy, resealable pouches. One for the future is Nestlé's Nescafé Original Hot When You Want self-heating, ready to drink can of coffee. But, says Nestlé's Freedman, it isn't targeted at the hot beverages market. "It was only ever going to be a regional test. Any time now it will be in the Birmingham area, but most of the country won't get it at all. It's an impulse drink initiative for, for example, forecourts. "It's not going to be sited near coffee." {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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