Rollout: November's best new products

Suggested retail price ranges from 99 cents to $2.89 for instant consumable items and $1.99-$3.29 for 3.5 oz. take-home bars. The premium drinking cocoa product line includes a five-count take-home box priced $1.98 to $2.49.

Potatoes seasoned for the season

The average American eats about 124 lbs. of potatoes per year, and now Minneapolis-based General Mills makes it easier than ever this holiday season to prepare them with the launch of Betty Crocker Seasoned Skillets, the first skillet-style, brown-and-serve potato dish.

Simply add water, heat, mix in the seasonings, brown and serve to four or five people. Ready in about 15 minutes, they are available in three varieties: Traditional Recipe, Roasted Garlic & Herb and Hash Brown.

“With Seasoned Skillets, consumers can prepare delicious potatoes in 30 percent less time than it takes to prepare scratch skillet potatoes, without the hassle of washing, peeling and slicing, and still deliver the same great flavor to their dinner table,” says Scott Berg, associate marketing manager.

Suggested retail price is $1.89.

Beef up the dog

Giving hot dog lovers more beef for their hot dogs, Ball Park, a division of Sara Lee Food & Beverage, Downers Grove, Ill., rolls out Ball Park Top It! -- hearty beef chili toppings that make every hot dog a "big taste" experience.

Available in three flavors: Classic Beef Chili with Beans, Classic Beef Chili Without Beans and Spicy Beef Chili Without Beans, Ball Park Top It! chili toppings are made with fresh ingredients, including beef, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, pinto beans, onions and a blend of spices.

Each easy-to-open and microwave-ready pouch of Ball Park Top It! is ready in 60 seconds and contains enough chili to boost the flavor of four hot dogs.

"We know that hot dog lovers are looking for flavorful, convenient products that will add the right kick to their hot dog experience,” says Steve Clapp, vice president, Ball Park. “Although ketchup and mustard are the most popular toppings for hot dog lovers, chili actually ranks high among consumers who like to take their hot dog toppings up a notch."

Suggested retail price is two for $3.

Starbucks perks up ready-to-drink iced coffee

Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. launches its ready-to-drink Starbucks Iced Coffee in two varieties in the U.S. through the North American Coffee Partnership, a joint venture with Pepsi-Cola Co.. The addtion creates a new coffee refreshment segment within the more than $800 million overall ready-to-drink coffee category in the U.S.

Starbucks Iced Coffee, a cold coffee drink made with Starbucks Italian Roast and just a touch of milk and sweetness, is available in two varieties — Iced Coffee Italian Roast and Iced Coffee Italian Roast Light. In developing the new Iced Coffee, the North American Coffee Partnership looked to trends and customer preferences within the overall coffee category. According to the National Coffee Drinking Trends report, published by the National Coffee Association of the U.S.A., the majority of customers want a coffee beverage with a simple, high-quality, full-coffee flavor and light dairy and sweetness, which until now has been largely unavailable in the U.S.

Two other products — Starbucks Strawberries and Crème Frappuccino crème drink, a blend of real strawberries and low-fat milk, and Starbucks DoubleShot Light, a blend of espresso and a touch of cream, but with lower fat, calories and sugar than Starbucks DoubleShot — also rolled out.

"Opportunities for Starbucks to introduce innovative and exciting ready-to-drink products to our customers allow us to extend the Starbucks Experience to them any place and anytime they choose," says Gerry Lopez, president, Starbucks Global Consumer Products. "Expanding Starbucks ready-to-drink offerings both in the U.S. and internationally helps to strengthen the Starbucks brand and reinforces our reputation and commitment to innovation, as well as coffee quality and expertise."

Suggested retail price is $2.25.

Potato chip flavors zing

Brewster, Ohio-based Shearer’s Foods Inc., introduces two unique trans fat-free kosher kettle potato chip flavors — Shearer’s Sweet Wasabi Mustard Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, a flavorful blend of wasabi with a generous squeeze of mustard, and Buffalo Wing Bleu Cheese Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, bold and spicy, softened with a hint of crumbled bleu cheese.

Suggested retail price is 99 cents for 2.75 oz. and $2.99 for 9 oz.

Organic pickles

Del Monte, San Francisco, introduces the first line of USDA-certified organic pickles in five varieties —Sweet Bread & Butter Chips, Dill Burger Slices, Kosher Dill Whole Pickles, Kosher Dill Baby Pickles and Kosher Dill Spears.