Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

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.

Snacks/sweets are key online opportunity categories for new online grocery shoppers: Hartman Group

27-Feb-2013 By Stephen Daniells

The move online is not moving as quickly for grocery e-tailing as for other industries, but products likes snacks and sweets are a key opportunity sector for attracting first time shoppers. 

Campaign pushes Hershey's, Mars to either label GMOs or drop them

12-Feb-2013 By Hank Schultz

GMO Inside, a national coalition of companies and organizations, has marshaled a public Valentine’s Day campaign to pressure Hershey and Mars to drop GMO ingredients or to label them in their chocolate candies.

Cocoa economy in ‘critical state’, says Mars sustainability chief

21-Jan-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The chocolate industry is behind in tackling some cocoa supply issues and must work more closely to avert shortages, according to Mars’ head of sustainability.

Multiple Organics grew at home by connecting to farmers across globe, exec says

15-Jan-2013 By Hank Schultz

Ingredient wholesaler Multiple Organics has announced an expansion into its first company-owned warehouse and headquarters facility in Hercules, CA, not far from its previous home base in San Rafael. But the expansion was made possible by paying attention...

Industry Voices: Healthy Choc Chief

Functional ingredients and chocolate the perfect match, says Good Cacao CEO

10-Jan-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Good Cacao CEO talks to ConfectioneryNews.com about boosting the appeal of healthy chocolate, the functional ingredients to look out for in 2013 and challenges in formulation.

Hot chocolate tastes better in an orange cup: study

09-Jan-2013 By Ben BOUCKLEY

Recent research shows that the color of beverage containers influences consumer enjoyment, with results indicating that orange and dark-cream colored cups enhanced the flavor, sweetness and aroma of hot chocolate.

Rev7 branded degradable gum exits US as maker seeks licensees

04-Jan-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Rev7 makers Revolymer has decided to stop selling branded gum in the US to avoid conflicting with its efforts to license the degradable gum base used in the product to other firms.

Special edition: Reformulation

New flavors can broaden product line's appeal, but won't supplant old standbys

18-Dec-2012 By Hank Schultz

Introducing a new flavor can be one way to reinvigorate a brand or to extend a line, but consumers will always return to their core flavor preferences, says an expert.

Hershey backs industry-wide sustainability standards

13-Dec-2012 By Kacey Culliney

The Hershey Company has joined the advisory council of a new non-profit organization – the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) - that aims to develop industry-wide standards on sustainability.

Healthy indulgence: What’s possible in chocolate reformulation?

29-Nov-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Consumers have high expectations of chocolate in terms of taste and mouthfeel – so how easy is it to tinker with chocolate formulations to create an indulgent product that also appeals to the health conscious consumer?

Cadbury develops temperature tolerant chocolate

21-Nov-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelez International-owned Cadbury has filed a patent for a chocolate that can tolerate hot climates by re-refining the chocolate after the conching step.

Special Edition: Natural sweeteners

Monk fruit launches gain momentum while stevia cools off

23-Oct-2012 By Hank Schultz

There is a new challenger in the no cal alternative sweetener space. Stevia may still be king, but monk fruit is building its own power base.

IFT identifies bitterness thresholds for chocolate

19-Oct-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

The Institute for Food Technologists (IFT) has validated a method that can help manufacturers determine how much bitterness is too much in chocolate.

Nutritional value is the key, ‘sustainability not a game-changer’: Bakery survey identifies 10 mega-trends for future success

19-Oct-2012 By Stephen Daniells in Chicago

Modern consumers want the best of all worlds when it comes to bakery and chocolate products, with quality & price, local & global, tradition & innovation, and pleasures & health existing together, according to results of a global survey...

Could chewing gum boost performance, reduce stress?

12-Oct-2012 By Stephen Daniells

Chewing gum may improve measures of stress and lead to a more positive mood, suggests findings from a series of articles funded by the Wrigley Science Institute.

Candy tax approved in US city as levy for other foods ditched

03-Sep-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

The city of Lakewood in Colorado has implemented state laws to tax candy and soft drinks at 3% while repealing earlier rules to tax a wider variety of foods.

Independents call on Hershey to address child labour

23-Aug-2012 By Rod Addy

US candy brand Hershey’s faces a fresh campaign demanding that it should embrace fair trade principles and reject the use of child labour.

Confectionery coaters Capol to penetrate US through distribution deal

17-Aug-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

German confectionery coatings firm Capol will have increased presence in the United States after its private equity owner purchased a US distribution business.

Purac gets GRAS for malic acid powder for confectionery, powdered beverages and jellies

16-Aug-2012

Purac has self-affirmed the GRAS status of its coated malic acid, Purac Powder MA, for use in confectionery, powdered beverages and jellies.

Hershey’s apologises after rusty razor blade found in Jolly Rancher candy

01-Aug-2012 By Mark Astley

Confectionery giant Hershey’s has been forced to issue an apology in the US, after a consumer reported finding a rusty razor blade in a bag of Jolly Rancher candy.

Hershey: Tentative on innovation?

30-Jul-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Hershey’s CEO has said that pacing is important in innovation and while efforts have been “far more disciplined” than in the past, it is still committed to new product development (NPD).

Editor’s Blog

The big guns on degradable gum: Wrigley and Kraft’s enviro-gum plans

12-Jul-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

ConfectioneryNews.com asks what the two biggest players in the chewing gum market are doing to introduce non-stick gums that degrade quickly in the environment.

Hershey to up Mexican cocoa sourcing as programme launched to boost supply

21-Jun-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey plans to increase the amount of cocoa it sources from Mexico by initiating a $2.8m crop growing programme in partnership with Ecom Cocoa that it says will boost yields in Southern Mexico.

Supply chain security and 'conscious consumers' driving Fair Trade surge

20-Jun-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Fair Trade imports into the US grew 75% in 2011, as food manufacturers look to secure their supply chains through more direct contact with suppliers - and as they bet on growing demand from 'conscious consumers', says Fair Trade USA president...

Confectionery industry heartened by close sugar program vote

15-Jun-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

The candy industry and sugar growers are both claiming at least a partial victory after the US Senate voted 50-46 to shelve an amendment to the 2012 Farm Bill that would have repealed the current sugar program.

Lycotec develops ingredient for weight management and cholesterol lowering chocolate

13-Jun-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Biotec firm Lycotec has developed an ingredient for chocolate and other fat-based foods that it claims can help consumers to manage their weight and reduce blood cholesterol.

Healthy chocolate ‘breakthrough’: Lycotec develops ingredient to unlock cocoa’s health potential

07-Jun-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Biotech firm Lycotec has developed an ingredient that it claims can harness the health potential in both dark and milk chocolate and lead to products with anti-ageing, injury recovery and increased physical performance properties.

Analyst lauds chocolate market potential in Mexico

23-May-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Confectioners face big rewards by tapping into market potential in Mexico, but will face “oblivion” if they fail to address growing health concerns, according to an analyst.

Cocoa deficit to bring prices higher, predicts Rabobank

22-May-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

A consecutive deficit in 2012/13 is set to move cocoa prices higher as supply struggles to meet rising demand for chocolate products in Asia, according to financial services group Rabobank.

Are healthy foods really more expensive? Not necessarily, say USDA researchers

21-May-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Many Americans claim that the reason they choose less healthy foods is because it costs more to eat healthily, but a new analysis from the Department of Agriculture claims that healthier foods are actually cheaper than junk foods – it all depends on how...

Sugar reform advocates ‘disappointed’ with lack of policy debate

21-May-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Sugar users have said they are disappointed that both the Senate and House Agriculture Committees have voted to advance the 2012 Farm Bill without amending current sugar policy, which they claim costs the US food industry by inflating domestic sugar prices.

Could it be second time lucky for low-cal bulk sweetener Tagatose?

18-May-2012 By Elaine Watson

Belgian firm Nutrilab NV is preparing to introduce low-calorie, low glycemic bulk sweetener Tagatose to North and South America later this year, six years after dairy giant Arla Foods pulled the plug on the ingredient claiming it was not commercially...

Imperial Sugar reports $6.5m loss in Q2

14-May-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Imperial Sugar Company reported a net loss of $6.5m in the second quarter, compared to a net profit of $4.2m in the prior year period, while net sales were up 5.6%.

Cocoa waste may become valuable source of pectin, suggest researchers

10-May-2012 By Nathan Gray

Cacao pod husks – a major by-product of cocoa processing – could provide industry with a new, environmentally friendly source of pectin, say researchers.

Blommer predicts looming cocoa supply crisis

10-May-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Demand for cocoa is expected to climb 30% in the next 10 years creating a 25% shortage of current supply, according to North American cocoa processor and chocolate ingredients supplier Blommer Chocolate Company.

Cacao & soy compounds show heart health benefits for diabetic women: Study

04-May-2012 By Stephen Daniells

Supplementation with cacao-flavonoids and soy isoflavones may improve levels of biomarkers of heart disease in postmenopausal, diabetic women, says a new study.

Higher prices boost Kraft profit in Q1

04-May-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Kraft Foods reported a 1.8% increase in first quarter profit after it raised prices for its products around the world and increased sales of its ‘power’ brands, particularly in developing markets.

Line between cereal bars and energy/nutrition bars is blurring, says report

04-Apr-2012 By Elaine Watson

While the food bar market has traditionally been split into two distinct categories: cereal/granola bars and energy/nutrition bars; the boundaries between them are becoming increasingly blurred, according to a new report.

Have your cake and eat it: Chocolate consumption linked to lower BMI

28-Mar-2012 By Stephen Daniells

People who consume chocolate frequently may have lower body mass index (BMI) values, suggests ‘intriguing’ data from the University of California, San Diego.

Revolymer enters 450 retail chains in US with degradable gum

09-Feb-2012

UK-based firm Revolymer has secured distribution agreements with 450 retail chains in the US for its degradable chewing gum Rev7.

Florida bill to prohibit “junk” SNAP food purchases passes committee

01-Feb-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

A Florida State Senate Committee has passed a bill intended to restrict purchases of certain foods under nutrition assistance programs, such as Food Stamps, or SNAP (Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program).

MA governor proposes taxing soda and candy

30-Jan-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has proposed eliminating a sales tax exemption on soda and candy in the state as part of the state’s 2013 budget, and plough extra taxes raised into public health programs.

Mexican sugar shortage could lead to price hike unless USDA acts – analyst

25-Jan-2012 By Oliver Nieburg

Global sugar prices could rise following a shortage in Mexican production unless the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) allows additional imports, according to the Jenkins Sugar Group.

Ethical claims create health halos, study suggests

16-Jan-2012 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Ethical production claims such as ‘fair trade’ may influence how consumers perceive calorie content, according to new research published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Looking back on 2011: How did we do with last year’s predictions?

15-Dec-2011 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

‘Tis the season for gazing into our crystal balls and foretelling what the year ahead has in store – but how well did we do with last year’s predictions? FoodNavigator-USA looks back on its forecast for the top industry influences of 2011.

Hershey to acquire Canadian confectionery firm Brookside Foods

09-Dec-2011 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

The Hershey Company has said it will acquire Canadian confectionery firm Brookside Foods for an undisclosed sum.

Nestle ‘sure’ child labour occurs in supply chain as company allows probe

30-Nov-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

Nestle has become the first food company to allow the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to investigate whether children are working on cocoa farms supplying its factories as the company said that it would almost certainly be the case.

US chewing gum market to mature as consumers demand health products – analyst

22-Nov-2011 By Oliver Nieburg

Growth in the US chewing gum market will be driven by products with perceived health benefits as children’s gum market declines, according to an analyst at IBISWorld.

Kraft says strong Q3 due to ‘powerful combination’ of new products and higher prices

03-Nov-2011 By Caroline Scott-Thomas

Kraft Foods has reported a 22% rise in net profits for the third quarter, citing higher prices, which offset increased commodity costs, and a spate of successful product introductions.