Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

Restricting large packages may be key to reducing over-eating, researchers say

03-Dec-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Portion control packaging, like the 100-calorie pack, is ubiquitous in the food and beverage industry, but new research suggests smaller options may not be enough to curb over-eating and fight the obesity epidemic. 

Incubator Union Kitchen's tasting event doubles as coming out party for companies, products

02-Dec-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Spicy hot sauces, cozy hot chocolate, premium tea, seasonal sweets and stocking-stuffer sized treats were on display just in time for the holiday season at Washington, DC-based incubator Union Kitchen's tasting event Dec. 1. The event doubled as...

Cocoa ‘a sad story’: Farmers need insurance as human cost of industry overlooked, says Cacao for Change

27-Nov-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa farmers operate in a chocolate supply chain that perpetuates poverty and bear the bulk of the risk, claims Cacao for Change as it proposes an alternative model.

Hershey taps US premium chocolate boom with double-sized gifting brand Kisses Deluxe

25-Nov-2015 By Douglas Yu

Hershey has launched gifting brand Kisses Deluxe in the US ahead of the holiday season to capitalize on the rise of premium chocolate.

Wake up and smell the coffee: Cocoa and chocolate industry can learn from coffee grading system

24-Nov-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Chocolate makers can draw on coffee industry grading standards to develop a common quality system for cocoa, says Lutheran World Relief’s manager of coffee and cocoa.

Patent Watch

Goodbye scuff marks: Mars heat treats chocolate after tempering to avoid unwanted marks

23-Nov-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

A short burst of hot air or incubation can prevent unsightly white marks on chocolate obtained via friction during production and packing, according to a patent application from Mars.

Discovery

Unraveling the cocoa code: Barry Callebaut discovers undetected polyphenols as it develops ‘cocoa atlas’

23-Nov-2015 By Vladimir Pekic

Barry Callebaut has found previously undiscovered cocoa polyphenols as it works with Bremen-based Jacobs University to crack the commodity’s molecular code.

Going for bronze: Hershey eyes third spot in Brazil’s chocolate market by 2020

16-Nov-2015 By Vladimir Pekic

US chocolate giant Hershey has unveiled a bold plan to become the third largest chocolate brand in Brazil by 2020.

13 emerging restaurant trends for 2016 that likely will influence CPG food & beverages

11-Nov-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Demand for more plant-based, vegetable-forward food has been growing the past few years, but the trend will hit new heights in 2016 – taking over the center of the plate and more often than before fully replacing animal protein, predicts trend tracker...

Study questions association between junk food and obesity, points finger at total calories consumed

09-Nov-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Demonizing unhealthy food as the primary cause of weight gain may be off-track, suggest researchers who found consumption of fast food, sweets and salty snacks alone may not be the harbinger of obesity it often is made out to be. 

KIND cuts added sugar in Fruit & Nut bars ahead of potential “added sugar” label change

05-Nov-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

KIND LLC will significantly reduce added sugar in some of its snack bars in spring 2016, which will make its label more appealing to health conscious shoppers, especially if FDA’s proposal to include added sugar in the Nutrition Facts box becomes a reality. 

Food Vision USA 2015: the highlights...

Collaborative innovation can cut costs and jumpstart launches, 7-Eleven exec says

05-Nov-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Collaborative innovation between retailers and manufacturers can jumpstart product development, generate substantial cost-savings and improve the success of a launch more effectively than either partner likely could achieve on its own, a senior director...

Interview: Mondelēz Cocoa Life chief

Cocoa 'businessmen': Mondelēz aims to create enterprising farmers with Barry Callebaut tie-up

03-Nov-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz International has scaled up its cocoa sustainability program through a partnership with its major supplier Barry Callebaut and has set a long-term goal of professionalizing the cocoa sector.

130 jobs axed: Cargill to close Pennsylvania chocolate plant

02-Nov-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Cargill plans to close its chocolate plant in Lititz, Pennsylvania in January 2016 as it restructures its manufacturing footprint in its chocolate and cocoa business.

Karma Baker: Dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free… and delicious

23-Oct-2015 By Elaine Watson

If you’re going to launch a gourmet organic, vegan and gluten-free bakery business, L.A. is probably the place to do it, acknowledges Karma Baker’s founder Celine Ikeler. But if you plan to stick around, you’ve got to make products that will appeal to...

Exclusive interview

Fairtrade CEO: Chocolate industry should pay double for cocoa to ensure farmer living income

21-Oct-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Chocolate makers must pay double the market price for cocoa farmers to receive a living income, says the CEO of Fairtrade as the organization gears up to review pricing.

Treofan to expand in the US as it sees growing market for five layer labels

19-Oct-2015 By Jenny Eagle

Treofan has spent €60m in the past two years upgrading its plants in Germany, Italy and Mexico. It also has a sales office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US.

TruSweets CEO sees growth opportunities for organic confections

05-Oct-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

As demand for natural colors and flavors increases, so too does the sales opportunity for the relatively unknown and underdeveloped organic candy segment, according to a leading executive in the category.

Industry Voices – Curtis Vreeland

A dynamic bean-to-bar market creates the ‘New American Chocolate’ – but is it a game for small players only?

02-Oct-2015 By Curtis Vreeland

Confectionery consultant Curtis Vreeland assesses the growing US bean-to-bar chocolate market and asks several artisanal chocolatiers how and if they can co-exist with multinationals.

Exclusive Interviews: Inside Nestlé’s Cailler brand

Nestlé plays premium chocolate card with global Cailler rollout

01-Oct-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Nestlé will launch its Swiss bean-to-bar premium chocolate brand Cailler in key international markets via e-commerce as it looks to plug an alleged gap in its premium confectionery portfolio.

NeuroGum raises more than $10,000 in two days to take on the energy & cognition categories

16-Sep-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

If Indigogo investors’ overwhelming interest in the upcoming launch of NeuroGum is any indication, the self-proclaimed focus-boosting gum could be a formidable competitor in the cognitive and energy food and beverage categories. 

Scott Semel: 'Our growth has been meteoric'

The meteoric rise of barkTHINS snacking chocolate: ‘It took off like a rocketship’

14-Sep-2015 By Elaine Watson

Sometimes the most disruptive food products are less about blue-sky innovation than taking something familiar, adding a new twist, and creating a completely new category, says Ripple Brand Collective founder and CEO Scott Semel, who has seen his latest...

Chocolate unsuitable for cocoa flavanol delivery despite new heart health pros, says Mars-backed consortium

10-Sep-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa flavanols have been tied to lowering blood pressure and heart disease risk in new research by a Mars-backed project, but study authors say chocolate is too calorific to be a delivery vehicle.

Montezuma’s signs ‘significant international deal’ to enter US with Trader Joe’s

28-Aug-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

UK premium chocolate firm Montezuma’s will be stocked in the US for the first time after it signed a deal with food store chain Trader Joe’s.

Fresh-baked cookie pioneer Otis Spunkmeyer will launch retail line in early 2016

28-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Well-known fresh cookie-maker Otis Spunkmeyer is expanding its empire beyond food service and into the retail segment for the first time with the launch of a line of sweet baked goods that will hit store shelves nationwide in 2016. 

Heartland Food buys iconic low-calorie sweetener Splenda from J&J subsidiary

26-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Heartland Food Products Group, one of the largest private label sweetener manufacturers, scores one of the most well-known brands in the category with the acquisition of Splenda from McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. 

Flavor Trends

Bitter emerges as a new flavor trend that could aid sodium reduction efforts

26-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Increasing consumer interest in bitter flavors could help manufacturers regain momentum on sodium reduction initiatives, many of which are stalled due to the common perception that less salt equals less flavor, suggests market research from Mintel. 

Mushroom pioneer MycoTechnology secures $6.7m investment

25-Aug-2015 By Elaine Watson

MycoTechnology – which has developed a pioneering new food processing platform using mushroom roots (mycelium) – has secured $6.7m in a Series A round of financing, with a second round expected to close before the end of the year.

Flavor Trends

Americans are united in their love for ice cream, but divided over their favorite flavors

24-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

The dog days of summer are here and to help cool off consumers are reaching for ice cream, which a recent Yahoo Food survey found is 41% of American’s favorite dessert.

Smart Groceries marries elements of online shopping & meal kit delivery services, creator says

24-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

A new hybrid grocery delivery and meal solution service from food-tech start-up Handpick, Inc., claims to offer a more affordable and sustainable way for consumers to shop and cook than other online grocery shopping or meal kit delivery services. 

Baobab poised to become the “queen of superfruits,” supplier says

18-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Antioxidant- and fiber-rich baobab is on the verge of stealing the crown from acai, goji berries and pomegranate as the “queen of superfruits,” thanks to awareness raised by recent and upcoming product launches featuring the ingredient, according to a...

Making Tasty a household name in kids’ snacks

07-Aug-2015 By Maggie Hennessy

Tasty Brand co-founders Liane Weintraub and Shannan Swanson originally had their sights set on an organic frozen baby food line, but the 2008 economic crash saw the market for premium baby food drying up. So they shifted gears to more seriously pursue...

Research review questions whether low FODMAP diets are solution to digestive woes

07-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Limiting consumption of certain carbs may not be the panacea once thought for bloating and abdominal pain caused by irritable bowel syndrome, and actually could cause more harm if not overseen by a healthcare provider, a new data review suggests. 

IFT Annual Conference

Innovative formulations could make insects more palatable

07-Aug-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

The next generation of food scientists is developing palatable and scalable products made with insect protein to help meet the growing global population’s increasing demand for protein.

Emerging origin

Bean-to-bar chocolate makers circle India for single origin opportunity

05-Aug-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

At least five premium chocolate makers are looking to build up India’s cocoa sector to produce single origin Indian chocolate.

Night snacking woes: Is food timing is key to weight loss?

04-Aug-2015 By Nathan Gray

There is a lack of top level evidence to support the notion that eating ‘little and often’ is beneficial for metabolism and weight loss, say researchers who warn that more robust clinical data that also accounts for meal timing is needed.

Market Research

Power of the dark side: Technavio reveals forecasts and growth drivers for global dark chocolate market

29-Jul-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Global dark chocolate sales are expected to rise 9% each year up to 2019 due to increased demand in developing nations and associated health benefits, according to Technavio.

The woman behind Element Snacks shares how to make it as an entrepreneur in “a man’s world”

27-Jul-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Fundraising is a major challenge for entrepreneurs regardless of their gender, but women face unique hurdles that they must proactively address early or else risk not raising sufficient money to succeed, according to the founder of Element Snacks. 

IFT annual conference

Welch’s wants to Concord the world

20-Jul-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Welch’s is expanding its reach beyond finished consumer goods and into new countries with the launch last fall of its Global Ingredients Group. 

UK government committee backs halving free sugars limit to 5%

17-Jul-2015 By Nathan Gray

The UK government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has ditched a 10% upper limit on sugar intake instead recommending that less than 5% of daily energy should come from free sugars.

Summer Fancy Food Show

NonGMO verification opens retailers’ doors for I Heart Keenwah’s puffs and cluster snacks

17-Jul-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Earning the NonGMO Project verification for every product in the I Heart Keenwah line was a “frustrating” and “taxing” year-long process, but it was worth it, said the company’s president and co-founder Ravi Jolly. 

NightFood spearheads creation of a healthy late-night snack subcategory

17-Jul-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

The makers of NightFood nutrition bars want to create a new subcategory of food that will help late-night snackers choose healthier options that could help them sleep better. 

Boredom and energy cravings the key drivers for Millenial snackers, says Mintel

16-Jul-2015 By Hal Conick

Research from Mintel suggests Millenials snack around four times a day, mostly for an energy boost, because they are bored or want to reduce stress levels.

Cocoa fermentation with beer yeasts up chocolate quality, say researchers

16-Jul-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Yeast species used in the beer, wine and bread industries can also be used in cocoa fermentation to create unique flavors for chocolate confectionery, say Belgian researchers.

Lindt continues to punch above ‘stagnating’ chocolate market in H1

16-Jul-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Lindt & Sprüngli has reported strong sales growth in the first half of the year driven by its North American business and recent Russell Stover acquisition as global chocolate markets slow or decline.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Cocktail mixers from fruity to bitter showcase at Summer Fancy Foods

15-Jul-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

As craft cocktails grow in popularity, so too are bars’ and consumers’ shopping lists to include a laundry list of necessary specialty ingredients. To help simplify professional and home mixologists’ experience and minimize shopping costs, high-end mixers...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Subscription snack boxes are a cost-effective alternative to in-store demonstrations

13-Jul-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Subscription snack boxes can be a cost effective alternative to in-store demonstrations, which often are viewed as a golden standard for driving initial product trial and gathering consumer feedback.

Your guide to IFT 2015: From cultured meat, 3D printing, and novel proteins to feeding your hungry microbiome...

06-Jul-2015 By Elaine Watson

Why is dietary diversity essential for a healthy microbiome? Can 3D printing and edible insects live up to the hype? And when will growing meat in the lab be commercially viable? Check out FoodNavigator-USA's guide to the hottest topics at the Institute...

Grupo Bimbo to sweeten Spanish hold with Panrico acquisition

26-Jun-2015 By Kacey Culliney

Grupo Bimbo is clearly looking to stretch into sweet bakery with the acquisition of local bakery Panrico SAU in Spain and Portugal, says Mintel.

Snacks with dried fruit & veggies multiply as category revenues reach $4 billion

26-Jun-2015 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sales of snacks with dried fruit and vegetables climbed 1.7% annually over the last five years and is predicted to reach revenues of $4 billion in 2015, thanks largely to shifting consumer demands for healthier snacks and a recovering economy that enables...