Harris Poll EquiTrend ranks Americans' favorite food brands

NEW YORK — Harris Interactive has unveiled the results of its 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend study, which measured and compared more than 1,500 brands.

Brands of the year included:

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  Greek yogurt brand Chobani, which topped competitors Yoplait, Dannon and Stonyfield;

  
  


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  Orville Redenbacher was named popcorn brand of the year;

  
  


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  Oreo was named cookie brand of the year;

  
  


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  Lay's potato chips topped other salty snack brands; and

  
  


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  Clif achieved the distinction of brand of the year for the energy bar category.

  
  

The study measured the perceptions of more than 38,500 American consumers.

"The Harris Poll EquiTrend study confirms that while Americans tend to be brand-loyal, they are happy to experiment with new products, even if they are substantially different from the traditional competitors," Harris Interactive SVP Lorraine Julian said. "Greek-style yogurt is a relatively recent phenomenon, and the Harris Poll EquiTrend study demonstrates that a good number of Americans have been open-minded enough to alter their ideas about what a yogurt should be. This would suggest that if food mega brands ensure that their products are of exceptional quality, they can benefit greatly from innovation."