The better-for-you trend ­— especially low-carb — seemed to dominate new product introductions this past year, and the dairy category was no exception.

Most of dairy’s new offerings in the low-carb arena came in the form or frozen desserts. All were valiant attempts to seize the opportunity of the growing craze. However, few convinced us that they truly delivered great taste while offering significant nutritional advantages. Frankly, we’d rather eat a little less of the “real” stuff in an effort to watch our diets. And with the low-carb hysteria apparently tapering off, we won’t be too sad to see many of these new offerings go.

But 2005 did bring some impressive products across the spectrum of dairy. Our latest data from Productscan Online shows 451 new dairy product introductions and 1,281 new SKUs this year from January through October (see New Products for a category breakdown).

Out of that sea, a few standouts managed to wash ashore. In our opinion, they offer fresh takes on nutrition, formulation, taste, convenience and packaging. And they come from industry players of all sizes, proving that a good idea is a good idea, no matter how big or far-reaching your company may be.

So we’re pleased to present this assortment of new products that crossed our desks in the past year. Each spoke to us in a variety of ways.