NEW YORK -- Carbonated soft drinks headed the list of all packaged goods bought in the United States in 2007, according to research on consumer trends by The Nielsen Company, FoodNavigator.com reports. Also posting strong sales were ready-to-eat cereals, which revealed that consumers like the convenience of those products.

Among the top 10 consumer packaged goods generating the most sales are bottled water, cookies, fresh bread, ready-to-eat cereal, refrigerated milk and soft drinks. Carbonated beverages topped $17.6 billion in sales this year, earning it the top spot of packaged good sales.

Cereal sales reached $7.7 billion, with 92 percent of American households buying the product at least once in 2007. Ready-to-eat cereal came in sixth place of all packaged goods purchased in the United States.

Bottled water had sales amounting to $6 billion this year, coming in seventh place in the top 10 consumer packaged goods sold in U.S. retail stores. Bottled water also has been among the fastest-growing beverage products ever, with worldwide sales increasing 8 percent.

Refrigerated milk was number two on the list for products purchased, with 95 percent of U.S. homes buying it at least once this year. Fresh milk also claimed second place in terms of sales, which amounted to $12.8 billion in 2007.

Snacks also claimed spots in the top 10 list of packaged goods purchased by U.S. homes. For instance, 91 percent of households bought chocolate candies (eight place), while 88 percent purchased potato chips (ninth place).