Live from Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago

Candy trends take spotlight at industry event

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.

Still fuel for caffeine gums after Wrigley halts production on FDA concerns

There is still a market for caffeine gums even after US Food and Drug Administration concerns prompted Wrigley to suspend production of its new Alert gum, according to private label...

FDA to probe impact of caffeine on kids' health following launch of Wrigley's Alert Energy Caffeine Gum

The FDA says it will take a “fresh look” at the health effects of caffeine on kids following the launch of Alert Energy Caffeine Gum - a new caffeinated gum...

Large fertilizer shipment to Ivory Coast expected to double cocoa yields

A 10,000 ton shipment of fertilizer arrived in the principal cocoa growing nation Ivory Coast today as part of an industry-backed initiative to double productivity on cocoa farms.

Green nutrition labels make candy seem healthier – study

Consumers think candy bars with green nutrition labels, such as those used by Mars, are healthier than ones  with red or white labels containing the same calories, according to new...

Oxfam fallout: Mars pledges to empower women cocoa farmers

Mars Chocolate promises to assess conditions for women cocoa farmers and will sign up to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles after Oxfam accused it of neglecting gender inequality.

Cocoa child labor: Story so far

Industry pledges reach $10m on cocoa child labor but ‘job is not done’

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.

Wrigley’s caffeinated energy gum misses core youth market - analyst

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...

Maltesers and Lindor get bar format makeover

Two major chocolate brands have been launched in block format as Mars Chocolate unveils Maltesers Teasers and Lindt introduces Lindor single serve bars.

Oxfam confronts Mondelez, Nestlé and Mars over women’s rights on cocoa farms

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...

News in brief

Mars to expand Maltesers plant in Australia

Mars Chocolate Australia plans a A$52m (US $53m) expansion of its factory in Ballarat, which manufactures Maltesers and other Mars confections.

Oxfam thanks food industry for ‘bland’ and ‘complacent’ response to damning CSR report

Oxfam will step up its campaign to improve the treatment of people and resources that form part of the supply chain of the world’s biggest food conglomerates, after it cast...

ABF calls Oxfam food ethics attack ‘ridiculous’

Associated British Foods – worst-in-class in an Oxfam report critical of 10 food giants for essentially operating under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) “veil of secrecy” – has hit back, slamming the...

Dispatches from NCA Miami Conference

‘Step up’ on obesity before regulators bite, says Mars chief

Candy makers must take responsibility to tackle obesity and should act before regulators force their hands, says Mars Chocolate North America's president.

Patent Watch

Wrigley files mouthwash-style gum patent for bad breath

Wrigley has filed a patent for a mouthwash compound-based chewing gum composition to combat bad breath.

Campaign pushes Hershey's, Mars to either label GMOs or drop them

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...

Industry needs to be more open about nanomaterial use, says As You Sow

A US not-for-profit organisation has slammed the “murky issue” around potential risks of nanomaterial use and pledged to test products to assess their safety.

NCA adopts voluntary front of pack calorie labels

The National Confectionery Association (NCA) of the United States has adopted a voluntary position to put calories on the front of packs.

Germany busts choc giants for price fixing; ordered to pay €60m

Eleven chocolate companies including Nestlé and Kraft have been fined over €60m ($82m) for colluding to raise chocolate prices in Germany, while price fixing investigations continue in the US and...

Cocoa economy in ‘critical state’, says Mars sustainability chief

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.

News in brief

Mars to address heart health cocoa flavanol conference

Mars scientists are among the speakers at a conference later this month in Brussels to discuss breakthroughs linking cocoa flavanols to cardiovascular health.

Wrigley wants to reinvigorate declining German impulse channels

Gum titan Wrigley is modernizing its strategy in impulse channels such as gas stations to rekindle falling sales in the German market.

Hershey, Mars and Nestlé to face $727m chocolate ‘price fix’ case

Hershey, Mars and Nestlé may be liable for $727m in damages for alleged conspiracy to raise chocolate prices in the US between 2002 and 2007.

News in brief

Mars, Mondelez and Callebaut gear up for World Cocoa Conference

Major industry players including Mars, Mondelez International and Barry Callebaut are due to appear at the World Cocoa Conference in the Ivory Coast, which gets underway today.

News in brief

Mars Chocolate UK seeks strategy controller

Mars Chocolate UK is on the hunt for a new head of commercial strategy to handle top brands such as Mars, Snickers and Twix.