The National Confectionery Association (NCA) has announced the Most Innovative Award winners from nine major candy and snack categories, including chocolate, seasonal, gum and mints, at the Sweets & Snacks Expo this year in Chicago.
Leading chocolate and confectionery companies are taking an offensive position in the ongoing war on sugar by together committing to reduce calories in single serve products and increase transparency with clear front-of-pack calorie labels.
Despite significant headwinds generated by the escalating war on sugar and increasing consumer preferences for healthy products, the confectionery industry is holding its own with sales climbing 1.2% in the last year to reach a whopping $25 billion, according...
It's February already, and the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day will see an uptick of chocolate sales. The National Confectioners Association surveyed 1,630 US individuals online and found that chocolate and candy were the most sought after...
Financial terms of the acquisition were not revealed, but chairman of Highlander Partners Alex Guiva said: “It is no secret that retailers dedicate more and more shelf space to organic and sugar-free products, and these trends are here to stay.”
In a world where most business growth comes from the tech, oil, gas and software industries, gum and mint maker The PÜR Company was “sweetly surprised” recently to secure a spot in PROFIT 500’s top 10 list of fastest growing Canadian companies and the...
Sonoma Brands could have its work cut out entering everyday snacking with marshmallows given the sticky problem of sugar avoidance, but SMASHMALLOW is an innovative new concept that could appeal strongly to women, say two trendwatchers.
SMASHMALLOW – the latest innovation from food & beverage brand incubator Sonoma Brands – could herald the launch of a new confectionery category: gourmet snackable marshmallows, says founder Jon Sebastiani.
Are Americans eating more candy? Well they’re certainly spending a bit more – Nielsen data shows US retail dollar sales rose a modest 2.4% in the 52 weeks to May 28, although unit sales were down 1.6%, suggesting shoppers are trading up to more premium...
Premium confections and snacks could find new distribution opportunities in unconventional places as more fashion and design retailers start stocking select on-the-go food and beverages that will help fuel and refresh consumers so they can continue shopping.
Students at KSID Köln International School of Design present confectionery packaging and product concepts at the International Sweets and Biscuits Fair (ISM).
While we’re often told that millennials are rejecting the brands their parents grew up with, the same rules don’t necessarily apply in the candy aisle, notes the CEO of Ferrara Candy Co (est. 1908), who says millennials and Gen Z-ers are driving the double-digit...
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.
The first commercial 3D printer for retail will be used to create gummies in different shapes, sizes, colors and flavors, says creator Katjes Fassin UK.
New York-based start-up Simply Gum offers consumers an elegant, all natural alternative to conventional chewing gums, many of which the company founder says include plastic and other synthetic ingredients.
US social enterprise Project7 is carving a niche for itself in the highly consolidated chewing gum market with novel flavors such as birthday cake and sour caramel apple.
Mars Chocolate North America is going against the industry tide by backing the World Health Organization's guidance that added sugar should account for under 10% of a person's daily calories.
The top four U.S. candy manufacturers are growing at slower rates than smaller companies, that are able to bring new products to market quicker, says an IRI analyst.
Five startups showcasing at the Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago hope to rekindle Americans’ love affair with the iconic sugar candy brittle by updating the old fashioned confection with bold new flavors and textures that will appeal to a broader audience.
Yellow birthday cake with thick, sugary frosting, like those made in local grocery stores nationwide, is emerging as a top selling new flavor in candies and sweets, according to leading candy companies.
Jelly Belly Candy Company is launching a line of USDA certified-organic candies, including fruit flavored snacks, gourmet jelly beans and other confections, the firm’s CEO and president told FoodNavigator-USA exclusively.
Retailers have voted for the new U.S candy items that have the best go-to-market potential at the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo.
It’s well known that the American love affair with soda has hit a pretty significant rough patch, but a new report from Rabobank suggests the nation has also been steadily falling out of love with gum, with US volumes dropping a staggering 20% in the...
The US National Confectioners Association (NCA) has hit out at claims from the American Sugar Alliance that the confectionery industry is dominated by big players and is crying poor about sugar prices.
The US National Confectioners Association (NCA) has earmarked consumer education on calories and sugar as an industry priority for 2014 but admits there is skepticism about industry-funded research.
Confectioners can reduce reliance on the big seasons with packaging and formats that outlast one day events, licensing deals and distribution at holiday hot spots, according to Jelly Belly.
Confectioners should focus on the hard-core candy consumers that make up the bulk of sales, according to the National Confectioners’ Association (NCA) and DunnhumbyUSA.
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.
Dispatches from NCA State of the Industry Conference in Miami
Impulse-reliant confectioners should be wary of emerging technology that could spell the end for in-store checkouts as we know them, says a retail expert.
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....
The US National Confectioners Association (NCA) and leading US firms say sugar has been ‘unjustly’ victimized in recent months and the public should be free to enjoy a sweet treat if they so desire.
Many confectioners are sidestepping responsibilities on sustainable palm oil by only ensuring products meet ‘inadequate’ RSPO standards, according to Greenpeace.
The Hershey Company will make its single largest investment in Asia with a new factory in Malaysia, a country the firm says gives it a strong route to 25 markets in the region, including China.
At the Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago, new confection and snack products on display reflect what flavors, ingredients and categories candy consumers are hungering for.
Convenience stores and value supermarkets are the fastest growing channels for confectionery in the US as cash strapped consumers down-trade and stores expand, according to the National Confectioners Association (NCA) and market analysts Nielsen.
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...
