Popularity Contest

When you visit the grocery store, you're faced with dozens, if not hundreds of options for everyday foods ranging from peanut butter to cereal. While some might think that chips are chips, others know that there is a big difference between Ruffles and Pringles. Read on to find out which brands are the leaders in their respective categories, based on sales.

What brand of cereal do you reach for in the morning? If you're like most Americans, you go for Honey Nut Cheerios, the best selling cereal since 2008. General Mills also holds the second best-selling cereal, Cheerios. Post Honey Bunches of Oats comes in third, followed by Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats, and Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.

When it comes to peanut butter, consumers have more choices than just creamy or crunchy. One brand in particular has been selling more peanut butter since 1981. According to CPG data from SymphonyIRI Group, sales of Jif topped $317 million last year, making it the most popular PB brand. With market share at 17.2 percent, Skippy comes in a close second, followed by Peter Pan, Smucker's, and Smart Balance.

Chew on this: sugarless gum is a $1.2 billion business, and according to CPG research company Mintel International Group, Wrigley's Orbit was the best selling gum last year with sales at almost $206 million. Trident, which used to rule the sugarless gum scene, is now sitting at number two with $146 million worth of sales in 2009. Rounding out the top five best selling sugar-free chewing gums are Wrigley's Five, Extra, and Eclipse.

Turning to leaders within the salty snack category, look no further than Frito-Lay. Sales of its Lay's classic potato chips reached almost $1 billion in 2009, said SymphonyIRI Group. Wavy Lay's were the second best selling chip last year, with Ruffles coming in at number three. Procter & Gamble-owned brand Pringles and Hanover, Pennsylvania, based Utz round out the list of top selling salty snacks.

In need of a drink? Most people turn to Smirnoff, which is indeed the world's number one vodka. In fact, with $1 billion in sales last year, vodka sales were higher than that of whiskey, rum, and tequila. According SymphonyIRI Group data, Smirnoff, produced by Diageo, made up more than a fifth of industry vodka sales. Coming in at a distant second, Absolut, sells less than half as much in this category.

As a final tidbit of information, have you ever wondered which item is the most popular at Wal-Mart? Bananas! The world's largest retailer sold more bananas last year than any other single item.

Have you added to this list...without knowing it? Are the brands that you buy the ones that are on the list of best sellers? Leave a message and tell me more!