Hershey and other companies are reacting to the recession by dialing down new product development, which is expensive and risky. "This is not the time to be overly aggressive in new product design," says Robert Boutin, owner and president of confectionery development firm Knetchel Labs in Skokie, Ill. "The risks are very high." Instead, companies from Kraft Foods to Campbell Soup to Kellogg are pushing standbys that date back decades.
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