Once the poor relation, left on the sweet shop shelf, dark chocolate is steadily gaining notoriety as Britain buys into a new, healthier image. The latest research from MINTEL shows that sales in Britain almost doubled between 2005 and 2007, with sales hitting £85 million last year. Mathilde Dudouit, senior market analyst at MINTEL, believes that the consumer trend toward ‘good for you’ foods is driving growth in the category. “Although dark chocolate is still high in... ...Read more »
Name of Product: Home Brand Sultanas Milk Chocolate Package Description & Size: White and red flow wrapped bag, 300g Best Before: 21/05/2009 Australian Distribution: National Reason for Recall: Undeclared allergen - peanut The manufacturer Ernest Hillier Pty Ltd and Woolworths Limited wish to advise that they are conducting a voluntary consumer level recall on the above product due to an important product safety issue. Instead of Milk Chocolate Sultanas some packages contain Chocolate coated... ...Read more »
The United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Mars, Incorporated, and IBM are combining their scientific resources to sequence and analyze the entire cocoa genome. Sequencing the cocoa genome is viewed by the organizations as a significant scientific step that may allow more directed breeding of cocoa plants and potentially enhance the quality of cocoa - the key ingredient in chocolate. The collaboration hopes to enable farmers to plant better quality... ...Read more »
The favourite snacks of children remain confectionery and potato chips but a new survey reports that healthier snacking options are beginning to tried by young children. The survey required children to list their favourite after school snacks, with 48% of school children aged 11-16 listing potato chips (crisps) among their favourite snacks followed by chocolate/sweets (39%), biscuits/cakes (32%), fruit (32%) and soft drinks (27%). A similar picture emerged for children aged 4-11 years old but fruit... ...Read more »
Chocolaterie Guylian NV (”Guylian”), one of the world’s leading brands of premium Belgian boxed chocolates, has reached an agreement to partner with Lotte Confectionery Co., Ltd. (”Lotte Confectionery”), the Lotte Group’s publicly listed subsidiary specializing in confectionery. The Lotte Group are seeking to leverage the successful Guylian brand as they enter the lucrative European market and diversify their confectionery business. Mr. Sang-Hoo Kim, President... ...Read more »
Cadbury, the world’s largest confectionery company, has announced plans to sell chocolate flavoured chewing gum. The product, described by Cadbury as “indulgence without the guilt”, is set to hit UK shelves next month as the company seeks to eat into the market share of Wrigley. Known as Trident Sweet Kicks, the gum has a mint shell with a liquid chocolate centre, which reportedly provides an initial chocolate taste before providing a longer lasting mint flavour. The product... ...Read more »
As a host of companies seek to provide health supplements to their products amid concern over the obesity epidemic, a couple of major US confectionery companies have opted into the cosmetics industry. Wrigley, the world’s largest chewing gum maker, and Hershey Foods, the giant US confectionery producer, are among those to have combined with ‘Lotta Luv’ to produce candy flavoured lip balm. New York based Lotta Luv has worked with the companies to produce Reese’s Peanut Butter... ...Read more »
A report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that cocoa flavanols, which are naturally occurring plant compounds, may provide benefits to people with Type 2 Diabetes. The study concluded that the daily consumption of a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols can positively impact blood vessel dysfunction. Study participants who regularly drank a beverage rich in cocoa flavanols, made using the Mars, Incorporated Cocoapro process, experienced a 30 per cent improvement... ...Read more »
The US Candy Expo was held in Chicago last week with the world’s biggest names in candy showing off their latest creations. Mars Inc. signalled their intentions to improve their share of the premium chocolate market with the introduction of a different M&M’s product. Premium M&M’s result in Mars changing the M&M production formula for the first time, as well as changing the packaging and look of the product. The new product complements the presence of Mars’... ...Read more »
A tree-bark extract to cure bad breath is part of a wave of new ingredient innovations that have been unveiled in recent times. The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company has given visitors to the All Candy Expo in America a first look at Eclipse gum and mints, which the company announced will be the first in the U.S. to include magnolia bark extract (MBE) - a natural ingredient proven to help kill the germs that cause bad breath. MBE has origins in traditional Chinese medicine and the introduction of... ...Read more »