ASDA bid for 'chav' candy

By Catherine Boal

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Chocolate Fudge Confectionery Asda

There have been a number of developments in the confectionery
industry in the last week, not least of which is the news that UK
retailer ASDA is attempting to blend popular culture with novelty
candy.

The supermarket giant has applied to trademark the iconic British term 'chav' for use in its own-brand confectionery in a move they hope will broaden the appeal of the novelty sweets.

In April this year the supermarket launched a range of Whatever sweets which are imprinted with slang words designed to appeal to young people.

Now the company want to take the gimmick a step further and trade mark the terms 'chav sweets' and 'chav'- a derogatory expression used to describe young, loutish members of the lower classes in the UK.

In addition to 'chav', ASDA applied for trade marks for expressions such as 'minger', 'as if' and 'you what'.

In order to register an expression or word as a UK trade mark, companies must advertise their intention in the Trade Mark Journal for a minimum of three months.

If ASDA's application is successful, the trade mark will mean that no other confectioner can use those words in connection with their products.

Across the water meanwhile, US confectionery giant Masterfoods is taking one of its biggest brands into the niche dark chocolate sector.

After trialling a dark version of M&Ms last year, the company has decided to make the product a long-standing addition to its portfolio.

Although still accounting for only 19 per cent of worldwide sales last year in comparison to the 74 per cent enjoyed by milk and filled varieties, demand for dark chocolate is growing and Masterfoods could be said to be capitalizing on the trend.

Vice president of marketing Michele Kessler said: "We've received tremendous interest from consumers to make M&Ms Dark Chocolate a permanent offering."

And another US food producer is looking to add to its product base - Cargill's Cocoa division has launched a new chocolate range for use in confectionery and desserts.

The Veliche range is made from Belgium chocolate and comes in three different varieties - Chocolat Noir, Chocolat Lait and Chocolat Blanc.

Made with vanilla and non-alkalised liquor, they all have a low viscosity and are amenable to manufacturing processes.

Cargill Pastry Chef Frank Vollkommer said: "Cargill's new Veliche line meets the growing demand of chocolatiers and pastry chefs for high quality, 100 percent Belgian chocolate that provides superior flavour and workability."

Related topics Manufacturers Candy

Related news

Show more