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.
On day two of the 2013 Food Technology & Innovation Forum in Chicago, R&D bosses from the world's biggest food and beverage companies learned how Unilever gains consumer insights online, what Nestlé thinks about biotech crops and how McDonald's...
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.
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.
All confectionery categories will grow in Mexico over the next five years, but gum will grow the fastest and confectioners can capitalize with products enriched with vitamins and minerals, according to research from Canadean.
Brazil has one of the largest markets for Easter confectionery and has had more Easter launches than anywhere else, but the Chinese have yet to look beyond the religious nature of the season as they have for Christmas, according to an analyst.
Diana Plant Sciences, based in Portland, OR, has brought to market what it says is the first nutraceutical ingredient produced completely in a bioreactor via plant stem cell technology.
The number two gum player Kraft (now Mondelez) has filed a patent for a degradable gum composition that is similar to one currently being assessed for novel foods approval in the EU.
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.
New Jersey-based Candy Treasure has overcome a US ban on toy-filled chocolate eggs dating back to 1938 after its Choco Treasure surprise eggs were deemed safe for sale.
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.
The maker of a newly launched appetite suppressant gum claims to be the first to have self-affirmed GRAS status for hoodia in the US and hopes to overcome the negative image of the plant as a weight management ingredient.
Mars-owned Wrigley is to launch an energy chewing gum with the caffeine equivalent of half a cup of coffee in each piece but one analyst says the product misses the key youth market and could prove a lawsuit hazard.
Barry Callebaut has developed a formula to reduce the bitterness of high cocoa chocolate using green coffee that doesn’t give a coffee taste and ups antioxidant content.
Oxfam has called on the three biggest chocolate manufacturers to conduct independent audits on conditions for women on cocoa farms supplying their factories after finding evidence of unequal pay, discrimination and hunger.
The confectionery industry is not immune to economic recession and must exploit opportunities in emerging economies to grow, according to an analyst from Goldman Sachs.
Candy makers must take responsibility to tackle obesity and should act before regulators force their hands, says Mars Chocolate North America's president.
China will be the number two market behind the US for Hershey within five years, predicted senior executives at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference yesterday.
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.
Affordable gourmet confectionery is on the rise in the US, according to the National Confectioners Association (NCA) which has seen a hike in demand from exhibitors wanting to showcase products in the Gourmet Marketplace at the 16th Sweet & Snacks...
Hershey gained market share in every category in the fourth quarter but admits it is still struggling to excite US consumers with Air Delight - the aerated chocolate range it launched in 2011.
A Washington D.C. area organic food store chain has pulled all products from its shelves that are marketed directly to children via the inclusion of images of cartoon characters from children’s books, films and TV.
Barry Callebaut has announced that it is switching to Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified palm oil for compounds and filling at most plants.
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.
While US refined sugar prices have dropped since last summer and sugar producers claim the nation is “swimming in sugar”, food manufacturers say prices are still “far above historical norms and about 30% higher than the world market”.
New testing standards for steviol glycosides and caffeine announced by the United States Phamacopeial Convention (USP) will help the formulators of products containing those ingredients cut costs and improve efficiency, a USP official said.
Hershey has filed a patent for an alternative to conventional coating and robing of confectionery products that uses film coating normally used to encase medical pills.
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.
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?
Sugar users in the EU have welcomed plans to release more sugar to the market, while counterparts in the US have condemned the sugar lobby for allegedly exaggerating available supplies.
The “communication messages” around Air Delight - the aerated chocolate range launched by Hershey last summer - still need some work, bosses have admitted.
The Hershey Company has reported a profit drop in its third quarter (Q3) results after tax rate rises, commodity costs and charges related to supply chain efficiencies hit the company’s results.
While the latest blends of steviol glycosides do not have the same bitter, licorice and lingering off-notes associated with some earlier stevia extracts on the market, some still contain “noticeable off-tastes compared to sugar”, says flavors giant Givaudan.
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.
Gum titan Wrigley is engaged in a legal dispute in the US over a flavor of its 5 Gum that uses the trademarked name ‘Swerve’ belonging to sweetener makers Swerve IP.
British polymer firm Revolymer, the creators of Rev7 degradable gum, has suffered a loss in its first half results as US sales were lower than expected.
