Product of the Year USA Reveals 2021 Awards
Product of the Year USA, which bills itself as the largest consumer-voted award for product innovation, has revealed the 41 winners of the 2021 Product of the Year Awards, chosen by 40,000 American shoppers in a national survey conducted by New York-based global consumer research firm Kantar.
“For all the obvious reasons, shoppers are spending less time in the supermarket than ever, but still crave new and innovative products to light up these difficult times,” noted Mike Nolan, global CEO of Product of the Year Management. “Because of this, we are more excited than ever to announce the 2021 Product of the Year winners and help shoppers find that ‘great new product’ when it matters most, however they do their shopping this year. What makes Product of the Year so trusted is our unique process, which gives shoppers the confidence that each product with our iconic red logo is backed by 40,000 Americans. That’s a powerful advantage for our 2021 winners, as a Product of the Year Award positions them as the innovative leader in their category.”
For the past 13 years in the United States, Product of the Year (POY) has awarded its red seal to products that demonstrate innovation in function, design, packaging or ingredients. This year’s winning products reflect the trends and categories that shoppers care about most in a year of stay-at-home orders and social distancing, from cleaning supplies to CBD offerings to snacks.
The 41 winners of the 2021 Product of the Year Award are as follows:
- Alcoholic Beverage: Uptown Cocktails, BuzzBallz LLC/Southern Champion
- Breakfast: Aldi-exclusive Aunt Maple’s Protein Pancake Mix, Aldi Inc.
- Car Care: Rain-X Glass Water-Repellent, ITW
- Cat Care: Pro Plan LiveClear, Purina
- CBD Ingestible: cbdMD CBD Gummie, cbdMD
- CBD Personal Care: Medterra Pain Cream + CBD, Medterra
- CBD Pet: Paw CBD 300 mg Peanut-Butter Hard Chews, cbdMD
- Cheese: Aldi-exclusive Emporium Selection 1,000 Day Gouda & 4 Year Cheddar, Aldi Inc.
- Children’s Wellness: Mucinex Children’s FreeFrom, RB Health
- Chips: Aldi-exclusive Simply Nature Bean Chips, Aldi Inc.
- Coffee: Aldi-exclusive Friendly Farms Almondmilk Coffee Creamer, Aldi Inc.
- Condiment: Aldi-exclusive Stonemill Everything Bagel Seasoning, Aldi Inc.
- Convenience Meal: Del Monte Veggieful Pocket Pies, Del Monte Foods Inc.
- Cookie: Keebler Chips Deluxe Original, Ferrara
- Dish Care: Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray, Procter & Gamble
- Dryer Sheet: Bounce Pet Hair and Lint Guard Mega Dryer Sheets, Procter & Gamble
- Electric Toothbrush: hum by Colgate Smart Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush, Colgate-Palmolive
- Eye Care: Systane Hydration PF, Alcon Laboratories Inc.
- Foot Care: Lotrimin Daily Prevention, Bayer Consumer Health
- Fruit: Del Monte Deluxe Gold Pineapple, Del Monte Foods Inc.
- Functional Beverage: Live Better Apple Cider Vinegar with Ginger & Turmeric, CVS Health
- Green Laundry: all free clear Pure, Henkel
- Hair Color: Schwarzkopf Color Boost, Henkel
- Hair Styling: Remington Pro 1” Multi-Styler with Twist & Curl Technology, Spectrum Brands
- Hard Surface Cleaning: Microban 24 Sanitizing Spray, Procter & Gamble
- Health & Wellness: Claritin Cool Mint Chewables, Bayer Consumer Health
- Healthy Snack: Aldi-exclusive Clancy’s White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn, Aldi Inc.
- Home Improvement: 3M Claw Drywall Picture Hanger, 3M
- Laundry Enhancer: Snuggle SuperCare Scent Booster, Henkel
- Laundry Pacs: Tide Hygienic Clean Heavy Duty 10X Power Pods, Procter & Gamble
- Liquid Fabric Conditioner: Downy Intense Scent + Freshness, Spring Rush, Procter & Gamble
- Liquid Laundry: Tide Hygienic Clean Free & Gentle Liquid Heavy Duty, Procter & Gamble
- Natural Cleaning System: H2O e3 Cleaning System, Thane Direct Inc.
- Oral Care: Crest Whitening Emulsions with Wand Applicator, Procter & Gamble
- Oral Hygiene: Colgate Keep Replaceable Head Manual Toothbrush, Colgate-Palmolive
- Outdoor Cleaning: Carbona Pro Care Oxy Powered Outdoor Cleaner, Delta Carbona LP
- Pain Relief: AleveX, Bayer Consumer Health
- Sports Nutrition: Powerade Ultra, Coca-Cola
- Tableware: Hefty Ecosave, Reynolds Consumer Products
- VMS: Patchology Little Helpers, Rare Beauty Brands
- Yogurt: Aldi-exclusive Specially Selected Indulgent Greek Yogurt, Aldi Inc.
Among retailers, CVS Health was honored for its Live Better Apple Cider Vinegar with Ginger & Turmeric functional beverage, while Aldi was a particular standout, with seven private-brand products recognized across various food categories.
CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Health, with nearly 10,000 locations, is No. 6 The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 listing of North America’s top retailers of food and consumables. With more than 2,000 stores across 37 states, Batavia, Illinois-based Aldi U.S. is No. 26 on PG’s list. The retailer is on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by store count by the end of 2022.
Established more than 30 years ago, POY currently operates in 40-plus countries. Winning products are revealed in every February and receive the right to use the Product of the Year logo in marketing communications for two years.
