Health & Functionality

Consumer demand for functional gummies keeps growing. Pic: GettyImages

Special report: Gummies keep on growing

Nutraceuticals are at the centre of gummy appeal

By Anthony Myers

Darling Ingredients’ health brand, Rousselot, has been at the forefront of much of the innovation involving clean-label gelatin and collagen-based solutions and has discovered a way to fill them with the correct amounts of nutraceuticals.

Pic: GettyImages

Special report: Gummies keep on trending

Go gummies! Whether hard or soft, consumers love the tastes and textures

By Anthony Myers

At last year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago, new and innovative gummy products proved irresistible to confectionery industry delegates with new lines from manufacturers, including Harribo, Hammond, Bazzoka, and Mars. Ultimately, the diversity of...

Could low-sugar chocolate actually taste better? GettyImages/Chris Ryan

Could low-sugar chocolate actually taste better?

By Donna Eastlake

Less is apparently more when it comes to the amount of sugar used in the creation of the perfect chocolate bar. So will manufacturers reduce the amount of sugar they use in the making of this sweet treat and will consumers welcome the change?

Stevia seedlings. Pic: Howtian Group

BALANCING HEALTH AND INDULGENCE IN CONFECTIONERY

Colombia’s sugar reduction tax targets confectionery

By Anthony Myers

The global landscape of food consumption is undergoing a significant shift with the introduction of sugar taxes in over 120 countries. These initiatives are primarily aimed at guiding consumers towards healthier lifestyle choices by reducing the intake...

The chocolate, confectionery, and bakery industry has adapted to demands for more healthy sweet treats. Pic: Getty Images

BALANCING HEALTH AND INDULGENCE IN CONFECTIONERY

How confectionery embraced ‘healthy indulgence’

By Anthony Myers

Consumers are increasingly focusing on their health without compromising on taste, which is why healthy indulgence has become a serious trend. Millennials (Gen Y) and Centennials (Gen Z) are looking for foods and beverages that are tasty, good for you,...

The award-winning NOMO caramel bar. Pic: NOMO

Free-from

NOMO caramel bar wins gold at Veggie Awards

By Anthony Myers

Vegan and free from chocolate brand, NOMO says it ‘won big’ at the 2023 Veggie Awards, taking home gold in the Vegan Snacks category for its Caramel Filled Bar.

Beers made with cacaofruit. Pic: Cabosse Naturals

Trends

Beer and wine brands jump on the Cacaofruit bandwagon

By Anthony Myers

Apart from the positive impact on the planet - potentially preventing millions of tonnes of fruit waste – cacao fruit opens up new categories after the pulp, juice, and powder from the cocoa pod are used, according to latest research.

Lindt successfuly launched a vegan alternative chocolate bar in 2022. Pic: Lindt & Sprungli

Global vegan chocolate market expected to be worth $2bn by 2032

By Anthony Myers

The global vegan chocolate market is estimated to be worth a conservative $2 billion by 2032, and as the Veganuary campaign begins, the surge in awareness about the benefits of plant-based food and confectionery products could see an even greater growth...

'People will always want to treat themselves,' new research into chocolate trends reveals. Pic: GettyImages

Trends

The shape and taste of chocolate in 2024 – what to expect …

By Anthony Myers

Chocolate confectionery is a significant market, expected to be worth over $128 billion (130 billion Euro) in global retail sales by the end of 2024. With a volume growth of +2% over the next 5 years to 2027, it is also a dynamic market, so what trends...

Cocoa trees naturally absorb cadmium from soils via their roots and deposit it in the nibs (centre) of cocoa beans. Pic: As You Sow

Special report

Chocolate companies respond to latest claims of excessive cadmium in cocoa

By Anthony Myers

Consumer Reports (CR), a US independent, non-profit member organisation, has doubled down on its campaign against lead and cadmium in chocolate and urges changes after a new survey finds a third of products contain ‘concerning’ levels of heavy metals.

The emergence of the creatine gummy

The emergence of the creatine gummy

By Asia Sherman

Gummies are making an inroad as delivery format for creatine, one of the biggest performing subcategories in a booming performance nutrition market.

Pic: CN

Free webinar

The impact of reformulation: producer’s nightmare or brand boost?

By Anthony Myers

Industry leaders take the Bakery&Snacks’ podium to discuss the movement that is increasingly impacting all areas when it comes to creating stand out snacks, from trickier better-for-you formulations that do not compromise on indulgence, to simpler...

Approximately 70% of the cacaofruit was previously discarded.  Pic: Cabosse Naturals

Ingredients

New breakthrough in cacaofruit reduces refined sugar in confectionery

By Anthony Myers

Cabosse Naturals, established by Barry Callebaut to unlock the potential of the entire cacaofruit, has launched a ‘free-flowing, 100% pure cacaofruit powder’, a new ingredient that can replace refined sugar in food manufacture, which also caters to growing...

Join our free-to-attend Healthy Snacking in 2023 webinar to find out what is shaping our snacking behaviour in 2023. Pic: GettyImages

Has indulgence taken a backseat to healthy snacking?

By Gill Hyslop

#healthandwellness, #better-for-you and #better-for-all – that is both people and the planet – have become familiar trigger words in the bakery and snacks sectors. But what is behind the consumer preference towards more natural, more nutritious, function...

Pic: GettyImages

Maple adds the sweet spot to bakery

By Gill Hyslop

The New England supplier of 100% pure and organic maple syrup and maple sugar recently highlighted how its maple products can help bakers tick consumer boxes: sustainability, plant-based/vegan, clean label, sugar alternative, organic and a good source...

Pic: NOMO

Plant-based special

NOMO unleashes vegan cookie dough bar

By Anthony Myers

Vegan & free from chocolate brand NOMO has launched its ‘biggest chocolate bar yet’ with the arrival of the chunky Cookie Dough block.

Pic: H!P

Plant-based special

H!P Chocolate launches Crunchy Orange Bar

By Anthony Myers

Plant-powered confectionery brand H!P has released its latest offering - a Crunchy Orange bar - that ticks all the boxes for conscious consumers … smooth, creamy oat m!lk chocolate combined with zesty orange and crunchy waffle cone pieces.

Pic: GettyImages

Plant-based special

What next for plant-based confectionery?

By Anthony Myers

With new inventions and innovations coming thick and fast, the plant-based confectionery category is increasingly shifting into the mainstream market with big brands like Mars entering the space in the past couple of years.

Naturally occurring sugars and 'free' sugars have a profoundly different effect on health. Source: Julia_Sudnitskaya/Getty Images

The difference between natural and ‘free’ sugars

By Augustus Bambridge-Sutton

We all know that eating fruit is better for us than eating doughnuts. One is essential to keep us healthy, the other, perhaps, nearly essential to avoid. However, both doughnuts and most fruits are high in sugar, an ingredient widely considered to lead...