Datamonitor is the world's leading provider of online data, analytic and forecasting platforms. They are always releasing research papers on trends and forecasts, and this one caught our eye: 10 Trends to Watch in Packaged Goods in 2009.

1. Nuts About Nuts (and seeds)
It wasn't all that long ago that consumers were told to avoid nuts. Too much fat, the experts said. Well, the experts have reversed course and nuts are now hailed as nutritional powerhouses which is why they are showing up in more new product launches.

2. Don't Energize, Relax.
New product offerings going the relaxation route include Drank Relaxed Energy Beverage, dubbed the "world's first extreme relaxation beverage" or "anti-energy drink" and Purple Stuff Pro-Relaxation & Calming Elixir.

3. Hold The Water.
Stratospheric oil prices during 2008 caused companies to reexamine how they do business. One realization firms made is that transporting water is expensive and it is cheaper to have consumers add their own water when possible.

4. Beauty, You Can Eat or Drink
Move over cosmetics. The new way to look beautiful is with an emerging generation of specially-formulated foods and drinks which has attracted some attention from heavy-hitters in the food industry like Nestle whose Glowelle Beauty Drink Supplement Powder fights signs of aging from the inside out with skin-beautifying antioxidants. Masterfoods' Dove Beautiful Milk Chocolate has skin nourshing ingredients like vitamins C and E along with biotin, zinc and cocoa flavanols.

5. Steam It Up.
Steam literally has a head of steam in the frozen food market as a growing number of food makers introduce products showcasing the cooking power of steam. Check out Birds Eye Steamfresh and Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers.

6. Detox Me.
Worldwide financial markets are trying to detoxify themselves from bad loans. Consumers are doing some detoxification of their own thanks to new products hitting the market that promise to "detoxify" in one way or another. Some food-based detox products use liver-friendly ingredients like dandelion root as active ingredients. Recent "detox" launches include Function Urban Detox Goji Berry Drink.

7. Get Ready For Stevia.
It's been called the "holy grail" of sweeteners. Stevia is a natural sweetener that comes from the South American stevia plant and has the potential to turn the sweetener world upside down. This zero calorie sweetener has been used for years in South America and Japan, and has recently been approved for use in processed foods and beverages in the USA.

8. It's An "Eco" Friendly World.
Worldwide economies may be dipping, but that does not seem to have dampened the desire for companies and products to be perceived to be environmentally-friendly.

9. Flower Power.
Who doesn't love flowers? Granted, flowers are great to look at, but they are beginning to play a bigger role in new product formulations. Floral flavors like lavender, hibiscus and jasmine have long enjoyed success in non-foods, but are newer to foods and drinks markets. Examples include OOBA Sparkling Refreshing Hibiscus Beverage (USA) which is said to have a high level of antioxidants, Simply Hibi Health Drink (UK) and Lavender-Jalapeno flavored Theo Caramel Collection Chocolates (USA). Subtle, non-fattening and aromatic, floral flavors look to surprise in 2009.

10. Brain Power.
Packaged goods makers have introduced a growing number of brain health products. Touting "good for your brain" ingredients like DHA omega-3's are recent entries like Kellogg's LiveBright Brain Health Bar. Mentions of the word "brain" in new food and beverage products worldwide have nearly tripled in the 2007-2008 period versus the 2005-2006 period.

Source: Reports-Research.com