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 »
The South Australian Government’s program to help rid school canteens of junk food has come under fire from the Liberal Opposition due to concerns about food additives. The ‘Rite-Bite’ campaign initiated by the Labor Party is designed to reduce fat, sugar and salt content in school canteens across South Australia, but the lack of policing of preservatives and additives worries the opposition. Shadow Education Minister, David Pisoni, has now called for an investigation into... ...Read more »
Chocolate has rarely been considered as a sound choice for those looking for healthy snack options. However, with a growing body of research highlighting the health benefits of cocoa, chocolate manufacturers are starting to update their products to capitalise on the positive publicity. The sugar and milk content, among other ingredients, in normal processed chocolate has restricted the potential of the cocoa bean but now, with increased awareness of the benefits of antioxidants in cocoa, manufacturers... ...Read more »
Swiss based food manufacturer Barry Callebaut, a world leading manufacturer of high quality cocoa and chocolate products, has successfully completed research to discover the potential for a tasty chocolate and wine combination to be created. Origin chocolates, which are made with beans harvested in only one country resulting in very distinctive flavours, were the basis of the experiments. The rapid rise in interest in origin chocolates, each with its own unique and delicate flavor palette,... ...Read more »