A century after it was added to the dictionary, and while contemporaries such as teddy bear' are going from strength to strength, grocerteria has been cut off in its prime. Surely it conjures up much nicer images than staid old supermarket'. What this industry needs is a campaign to restore this wonderful word to its rightful place at the forefront of British life. And there is another name they are planning to tinker with, come to think of it. The California Prune Board has, in its wisdom, raised the possibility of changing prune' to dried plum'. Apparently it is hell bent on getting rid of the English associations with laxatives once and for all. Is nothing sacred? The very idea is an outrage. Talk about throwing away brand equity. Staying firmly in the gutter, the national press had their noses firmly put out of joint at the recent opening of Patak's new factory in Leigh. Possibly due to the sensitive nature of Cherie Blair/Booth's eating habits, reporters were barred from the buffet room with the exception of yours truly (trade press are more trustworthy, it's official). Meanwhile, some of the country's finest marketing brains assembled in Leatherhead for the annual International New Products Forum. Or did they? A brainstorming session to think up a new product for Toblerone revealed few fresh ideas, with a rip-off of Maltesers or a Walnut Whip the best my group could come up with. What was that about no such thing as a truly new product any more? {{COUNTERPOINT }}