A spate of recent reports have accused a top member of Scotland’s food standards agency of bias after revealing her financial ties to a major chocolate firm - is the junk food industry meddling with objective scientific research?
Chocolate spreads and jams contain huge amounts of sugar, with two slices of bread containing the entire maximum daily intake - but some experts have questioned whether the quantities eaten are large enough to contribute to obesity
Ferrero is to acquire all the equity of Fannie May Confections brands, including its subsidiaries Fannie May Confections and Harry London Candies from 1-800-Flowers.com for $115m.
FoodNavigator approached industry and campaigners for their reflections on the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)'s 2016 Impact Report. What are the challenges and opportunities in the next 12 months?
Chinese police recently seized 300,000 counterfeit chocolate pieces during the 2017 Lunar New Year worth around 700 RMB ($102) per box, after a wedding candy store owner received complaints from local consumers.
Rumor has been mounting over the last month that e-commerce snack brand in China, Three Squirrels, is planning to be incorporated in the near future, BakeryandSnacks learned from various sources.
Ferrero has launched a TV advertising campaign defending its use of palm oil in its flagship product Nutella, saying palm oil is currently suffering "an unfair smear campaign" in Italy.
Ferrero is nearing the acquistion of biscuits firm Delacre in an attempt to decrease its reliance on chocolate and expand in North American, says market analysts Euromonitor.
Ferrero has terminated all relations with subcontractors Prolegis in Romania after allegations children had been working long hours for low pay to produce toys for Kinder Eggs.
Brexit is unlikely to have a dramatic effect on confectionery sales, with the quarterly update showing a 2% reduction in volume sales by 2020, according to Euromonitor.
Ferrero-owned Tic Tac Mints has become the latest candy company to distance itself from comments made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump
Sustainability in sugar has been side lined by the health debate, but the confectionery industry is a heavy user and must now decide whether it will support cane growers in the developing world, says Bonsucro.
Mars M&M’s, Hershey’s Reese’s and Nestlé’s Butterfinger are among the top US chocolate brands for the year to date, but which are gaining and which are losing share?
Mondelēz International may need to aim for a “lesser but still important” confectioner, such as Ferrero, to compete in the US confectionery space after ending its pursuit of Hershey, says Mintel.
Ferrero has reportedly made a bid to acquire Belgian biscuits and pastries manufacturer Delacre in a move one analyst says could support a push for North America and reduce its reliance on chocolate.
Ferrero says it will play its part in helping curb obesity levels in Europe by offering small portions tailored to eating occasions, primarily breakfast.
Smaller flexible plastic packs have topped the trend for 2016 as they give consumers a sense of control over snacking, portion sizes and awareness of sugar intake in food and soft drinks, says Euromonitor International.
After finding that 12 kids' food products from Nestlé, Barilla, Ferrero and Danone contain high levels of carcinogen 3-MCPD, Italian consumer group Altroconsumo is calling on parents to stop giving products that contain palm oil to children.
Ferrero is to double the amount of Fairtrade cocoa it purchases and will buy Fairtrade sugar for the first time as it targets 100% ‘sustainable' sugar by 2020.
Portion size control will be a focal point of the European confectionery industry’s push to address consumer concerns on health & nutrition, according to industry association CAOBISCO.
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) unveiled and gave awards to the “most innovative candy and snack ideas, concepts and products” at the annual Sweets & Snacks Expo this year in Chicago.
Global food and drinks businesses including General Mills, Kellogg, Mars, Nestlé and Unilever have pledged to reduce trans fatty acids to “nutritionally insignificant levels” by the end of 2018.
Mainstream players like Hershey may struggle to maintain grip on the US chocolate market amid rising competition and a shift to seasonal and premium products, claims an analyst at Swiss-based financial services firm UBS.
The World Cocoa Foundation’s acting president has defended farmer inclusivity under the industry-backed CocoaAction initiative and says efforts are not limited to yield increases.
Australia’s leading chocolate companies such as Mondelēz, Nestlé, Mars and Lindt have all pledged to source only “sustainable” cocoa for domestically manufactured goods, says the Australian Industry Group.
While nowhere near as popular as salty spreads like Vegemite and peanut butter, or as widely consumed as honey or jam, chocolate and hazelnut spreads have gained a definite cult following among certain sections of the Australian population.
Analysts say Hershey may be eyeing a joint venture or merger with a major international player such as Ferrero, but the US chocolate giant has dismissed the claims as “speculation”.
Cadbury Dairy Milk remains the top selling UK chocolate confectionery brand in convenience stores, but sales have dipped as Mars brands Galaxy and Maltesers grow, according to IRI data.
Taylors of Harrogate will bring the production of its new coffee capsule products in-house as soon as possible, factory manager John Hennighan has said.
The cocoa and chocolate industry acknowledges it must do more to combat cocoa child labor after the number of kids working in hazardous conditions on cocoa farms in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire rises 18%, a report from Tulane University shows.
Global dark chocolate sales are expected to rise 9% each year up to 2019 due to increased demand in developing nations and associated health benefits, according to Technavio.
By Jack Skelly, analyst at Euromonitor International
Ferrero has given strong indications it hopes to grow in chocolate confectionery retailing by acquiring UK chocolate maker Thorntons, writes Euromonitor analyst Jack Skelly.
