Most likely to suck
So, if life in your industry has you down, consider the sugar industry.
Projected annual growth rate — pegged to population growth at about 2%, except for the new Surgeon General's kick against kids consuming carbohydrates.
State of the industry — the biggest player in the US, Imperial Sugar, is coming out of bankruptcy. They diversified into “healthcare products” — hospital food — and savory condiments; they just shed their food packaging division. Tate & Lyle, the UK based sugar empire, just shed Domino, and is looking to ditch the rest of its US holdings.
And then there's tooth decay, Diet Coke/Pepsi/Whatever, and the creeping doom of corn syrup (which already displaced sugar from the soft drink business).
Pay attention, Microsoft–this is your marketplace in 10 years.
Sean M. Gallagher 