Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

Health ‘a strategic priority’ says Mars as it creates specialized health chief role

09-Jul-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars has flagged health as a leading priority and has named Debra Sandler, former Mars Chocolate North America president, as chief health and wellness officer for the global company.

Mars: No immediate chocolate price increases in face of cocoa deficit

18-Jun-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars says it is experiencing the same pressures on the cocoa market as Nestlé, but currently has no plans to raise chocolate prices.

Hershey in the race to develop 3D chocolate

11-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

US firm 3D Systems is collaborating with chocolate manufacturing giant Hershey’s to develop 3D chocolates fit for the commercial market.

Stressed? Try some dark chocolate, say Swiss scientists

27-May-2014 By Stephen Daniells

Fifty grams of dark chocolate a couple of hours before a stressful event may blunt the rise in stress hormones, says a new study from Switzerland.

Mars develops heat resistant chocolate with polyol mix

10-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars has filed a patent for heat resistant chocolate that can withstand hot climates, following an earlier application from Mondelēz and Nestlé.

No country for hard candy: Production stays in Mexico until US adopts ‘level playing field’ sugar regime, says Spangler Candy

19-Mar-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

US headquartered firm Spangler Candy says it will not move large volumes of its production back to the US from Mexico until the US government creates a domestic sugar regime that matches world prices.

Hershey told to get real on Brookside fruit claims after Mars complaint

19-Mar-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

The National Advertising Division has recommended that Hershey modify its packaging and advertising for Brookside candies so consumers know the product is made with fruit flavors and not real fruit.

The FoodNavigator Forum

How does sugar affect health? Find out at FoodNavigator’s Sugar Debate: Separating Fact from Fiction

12-Mar-2014 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Sugar – at least in excess – has been blamed for everything from heart disease to obesity and cancers in recent months. But is it as bad as all that?

Natural colors our first port of call, says spirulina-experimenting Jelly Belly

24-Feb-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Jelly Belly is experimenting with natural color spirulina after a major reformulation project.

Exclusive interview with Bob Simpson, COO of Jelly Belly

Jelly Belly exec: Stand out in nontraditional retail formats

20-Feb-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

For a company the size and scope of Jelly Belly—the confectionery giant sells more than 100 flavors in 80 countries (and growing) and across multiple market segments—finding untapped channels in the domestic market has become an “out of the box” endeavor....

Judge gives initial thumbs up to $3.4m settlement over Trader Joe's ‘all-natural’ claims

11-Feb-2014 By Elaine WATSON

A federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a $3.4m settlement of a class action lawsuit accusing Trader Joe’s of falsely advertising certain products as ‘all natural’.

Fairtrade chocolate set for uplift after fresh approach

06-Feb-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Fairtrade International is offering a new sourcing program that it hopes will inspire more confectioners to purchase Fairtrade cocoa.

Hershey ‘very excited’ about mystery new product, reckons Brookside could be $500m brand

31-Jan-2014 By Elaine WATSON

Hershey’s chief executive John Bilbrey says he is “very excited” about a mystery new product that will unveiled later this year, and believes fruit and choc snack brand Brookside could become a $500m global brand.

Innova and Cargill’s top chocolate trends

29-Jan-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Innova and Cargill’s top chocolate trends

Blood money: World Bank found lacking in palm oil investment review

28-Jan-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

An internal report on the World Bank’s multimillion dollar loan to a palm oil company embroiled in human rights allegations has concluded that the investment bank should have been more diligent in its assessments.

Special Edition: Polyphenols

Callebaut: More specific cocoa flavanol content claims will increase

28-Jan-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

Despite the growing body of research extolling the health benefits of flavanols found in cocoa, chocolate product manufacturers have yet to fully embrace front-of-pack claims calling out these compounds—with many still opting for more general “antioxidant”...

Chocolate with savory flavors and micronutrients: ADM Cocoa flags 2014 R&D priorities

22-Jan-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

ADM Cocoa unveils where it plans to concentrate its R&D efforts in 2014.

Mondelez adds investor Nelson Peltz to board

21-Jan-2014 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Mondelez International has added US ‘activist’ investor Nelson Peltz to its board of directors, the company has said.

Victory for Ben & Jerry’s in three-year legal wrangle over ‘all-natural’ ice cream with alkalized cocoa

13-Jan-2014 By Elaine WATSON

Ben & Jerry’s - which voluntarily agreed to stop using the term ‘all-natural’ on its ice cream three years ago - has scored a  legal victory in a case filed just before it axed the emotive phrase from its packaging.

Sugar under siege: Reformulation can win the battle, says Barry Callebaut

09-Jan-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Replacing sugar with fibers in chocolate could be more effective in reducing global sugar consumption than cutting portion sizes, but will come at a cost, according to Barry Callebaut.

Health-conscious US consumers weigh in on low-calorie chocolate: Lucintel

06-Jan-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Low-calorie products such as sugar-free chocolates will be the driving force behind modest growth in the US chocolate market in the next five years, according to market analysts Lucintel.

Mars Chocolate 2013 Christmas line-up

12-Dec-2013

Mars Chocolate North America has unveiled seasonal items ahead of the December holiday period.

Euromonitor on the year ahead in packaged food: battling industry fatigue, private label

09-Dec-2013 By Maggie Hennessy

Packaged food companies continue to see mid-range market share stolen from an increasingly sophisticated store brand segment. So they’ll look to stay relevant with continued focus on convenience and popular messaging like high protein.

Bitter sweet? Frito-Lay's Wavy chips have 'too much chocolate'

04-Dec-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Frito-Lay has used too much chocolate on its new Wavy chips but the product should do very well in the indulgent snacks arena, an analyst says.

Hershey develops 'improved' method to detect cocoa flavanols

27-Nov-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey has filed a patent for a new method to purify and detect levels of cocoa flavanols and procyanidins.

Hershey launches Lancaster caramel brand in US after successful rollout in China

10-Oct-2013 By Elaine WATSON

Lancaster - a new soft caramel brand launched by Hershey in China earlier this year - will be rolled out across the US in January 2014, bosses at the confectionery giant have revealed.

Patent Watch

'It's too milky!': Unilever files patent to control color of aerated chocolate

10-Oct-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Adding low levels of red and black pigments to chocolate prior to aeration can prevent aerated chocolate from getting lighter and potentially putting off consumers, according to a patent filed by Unilever.

ADM to set up new global HQ; Decatur to become North American HQ

23-Sep-2013 By Elaine WATSON

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is scouting around for a location suitable for a new global headquarters and customer center.

Special edition: Sweeteners

Natural sweetener from oats a 'great fit' for ice cream, candy, bars, cereals; oat protein byproduct shows promise

16-Sep-2013 By Maggie Hennessy

About a year on from OatSweet’s initial push into the U.S. sweetener marketplace, Oat Tech CEO and founder, Dr. Paul Whalen, caught up with FoodNavigator-USA on the growth areas—both expected and unforeseen—for this natural, oat-based sweetener.

Enough cocoa for chocolate makers this year but price hike looms: ICCO

05-Sep-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The International Cocoa Organization (ICCO) has slightly reduced its cocoa deficit forecast for the current crop year and says there are ample stocks for chocolate manufacturers, but a deficit next year could raise prices.

New flavor trends

Dark choc + cucumber? Trailblazer Foodpairing moves beyond flavor combinations to whole recipes

29-Aug-2013 By Elaine WATSON

FoodPairing - a Belgian firm blazing a trail in the culinary arts world by replacing guess work with flavor science to identify unique flavor combinations - is moving beyond food pairing (identifying a novel ingredient that ‘goes’ with strawberry) to...

Pathogen-busting films created with high flavanol cocoa

23-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Researchers have created antimicrobial packaging films containing high flavanol cocoa extracts that they say inhibits the growth of pathogens like listeria, E-coli and salmonella in food products.

Chocolate giants granted subpoena in US price fixing suit

02-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey, Mars and Nestlé USA have been allowed to scrutinize transaction data from two of their customers that could determine which type of customers have a valid claim for damages in an ongoing US lawsuit alleging that the companies conspired to fix...

Wrigley files patent for ‘natural’ tooth friendly gummies

29-Jul-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars-owned Wrigley is attempting to patent a method to produce ‘natural’ tooth friendly gummies using erythritol.

District court will not dismiss Hershey antioxidant labeling suit

26-Jun-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey will face a class action lawsuit alleging it misled consumers through antioxidant labeling claims after a US court refused to consider its protective order as part of an attempt to dismiss the case.

Third party certification only way to combat cocoa child labor, says campaign group

12-Jun-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Corporate sustainability programs do not go far enough to stamp out child labor on cocoa farms - only third party certification will do, says a new campaign.

Editor’s Blog

Mars cocoa genome research no Monsanto GM moment

10-Jun-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars' cocoa genome research has the potential to avert a cocoa crisis and could benefit farmers in the developing world – it is no GM scandal.

Cocoa sustainability drive gains $3m industry commitment

06-Jun-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The chocolate and cocoa industry has pledged $3m in new funds to global cocoa sustainability as major firms including Mondelez, Hershey and Cargill talk about their new initiatives.

Barry Callebaut-funded study

Dark chocolate enhances mood but not cognition, say researchers

15-May-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate may keep you calmer and content but no link has been established with enhanced cognitive performance, according to a study funded by Barry Callebaut.

Plant-based protein craze drives renewed interest in peanut flour

14-May-2013 By Elaine WATSON

While peanut flour has been around for years, recent interest in protein - particularly the plant-based variety - has sparked renewed interest, particularly in the nutritional bars market, according to one leading supplier.

Cocoa processing migrating to origin, says ADM

13-May-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa processing is increasingly moving to origin countries, particularly those in regions where chocolate consumption is rising such as Brazil and Indonesia, according to ADM Cocoa’s head of innovation.

Big Interview: Gene Dunkin, CEO Thompson Brands

Thompson Brands CEO: Novelty chocolate doesn’t have to be cheap and nasty

06-May-2013 By Elaine Watson

Founded in the same year that Edison created the first functioning light bulb, Thompson Brands is one of America’s oldest chocolate companies. But it hasn’t stayed in business this long by resting on its laurels, CEO Gene Dunkin tells Elaine Watson.

NGO questions Fair Trade USA chocolate labeling ‘hoax’

25-Apr-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Not-for-profit organization Fair World Project has criticized changes to Fair Trade USA's labeling policy, which allows chocolate to carry the seal when it contains a high percentage of other ingredients like sugar that are not fairly traded.

Hershey's Kisses are smoother, and ‘significantly less sweet’ in China, says R&D boss

25-Apr-2013 By Elaine WATSON

If Hershey arrived in China later than some rivals, it has more than made up for lost time since, delegates at the Food Technology & Innovation Forum in Chicago learned this week.

All chocolate at PCC Natural Markets must comply with ethical standards

11-Apr-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The US’s largest natural foods retail cooperative PCC Natural Markets claims it has become the first grocer in the nation to sell chocolate made only from ethically sourced cocoa.

Guest article

Sloan Trends on heart healthy foods, beverages: 'Circulation is a mass market opportunity'

27-Mar-2013

Improving circulation is a hot new trend in heart health, while cardio-healthy foods and drinks for children represent an "explosive untapped functional foods opportunity", according to Elizabeth A. Sloan, PhD and Catherine Adams Hutt, PhD,...

Special edition: New trends in heart-healthy foods

Emerging heart health ingredients have a long way to go to challenge the established ‘big fish’

27-Mar-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

The well-established heart health ingredients will remain kings of the castle for the foreseeable future, but there are some pretenders to the crown emerging, according to formulation experts at Fortitech.

Hershey defends commitment on sustainable cocoa

20-Mar-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey has called attacks on its text messaging tips for farmers program CocoaLink “disingenuous” after a group of NGOs questioned the effectiveness of the project.

Cocoa child labor: Story so far

Industry pledges reach $10m on cocoa child labor but ‘job is not done’

18-Mar-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The industry has pledged $10m in new funds since 2010 to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, but a newly released report says the job is far from over.

Industry Voices – Functional Gum Formulator

High-dose weight loss gum launches in US

05-Mar-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

A high-dose satiety gum containing a potato extract and African mango has launched in the US that takes four pieces to achieve clinically-backed results.