Ldast year, manufacturers introuced more products than ver before in our Nation's retail food stores. Of the over 16,000 products introduced, 77 percent were food (table 1). The majority of the new products, 59 percent, headed to supermarkets. Gourmet food stores received 30 percent of the new products, while the remainder went to health-food stores. Eighty percent of new products were shelf stable and the rest were evenly divided between refrigerated and frozen. The 1991 total reflected a 22-percent increase over the 13,244 products introduced in 1990, and more than doubled the introductions in 1985. This growth occurred despite 1990 and 1991 being recession years, with food sales rising less than food prices. Between 1982 and 1991, manufacturers brought to market over 90,000 new food products. However, breakthrough concepts are rare. Most new products—up to 90 percent—are extensions of existing lines, with the addition of new flavors, sizes, packages, or cooking alternatives.