"If the September decline in global trade is any indication, U.S. companies aren't expecting many items to fly off store shelves this holiday season," says Panjiva CEO Josh Green. "However, it certainly seems that U.S. companies are betting that swine flu will turn hand sanitizer into a holiday hit."

Panjiva's analysis of shipments including the phrase "hand sanitizer" shows that shipments in the third quarter of 2009 more than doubled the number of products shipped in the third quarter of 2008. Specifically:

• In the third quarter of 2009, there were 128 waterborne "hand sanitizer" shipments to the United States -- compared to 56 shipments in the third quarter of 2008.
• When analyzed on a weight basis, there was a threefold increase in the amount of hand sanitizer shipped in the third quarter of 2009 - compared to the third quarter of 2008.

Panjiva is an online resource for sourcing executives about suppliers and manufacturers around the world. 

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