Editor’s Blog

Fair Trade USA labeling rules: Hoax or fair enough?

Fair Trade USA is considering much maligned changes to its labeling policy that would no longer require brands to source ingredients from a Fair Trade source even when one is...

Cocoa butter equivalent demand rising rapidly, says Global Shea Alliance

Cocoa butter is estimated to be the fat source for around 40% of chocolate bars compared to 5% for cocoa butter equivalents (CBE) – but the balance could be shifting.

Protein chocolate: Sources, market and trends

Private label firms weigh up the benefits of functional weight management chocolate bars using different sources of protein.

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.

LIVE FROM SWEETS AND SNACKS EXPO IN CHICAGO

Nestlé Cocoa Plan to expand to US products

Nestlé USA announced at the National Confectioners Association (NCA) show that the company is expanding its Nestlé Cocoa Plan responsible sourcing program to its American product offerings.

Hershey brand launch in ‘fastest growing’ Chinese confectionery segment

Hershey has launched a new brand in China that will operate in what it has called the country’s fastest growing confectionery segment.

Is theobromine responsible for cocoa’s cholesterol benefits?

The potential of cocoa to beneficially impact ‘good’ cholesterol levels may be linked to the theobromine content and not the flavonoids, says a new study from Unilever Research & Development...

Mondelez upsizes Cadbury Dairy Milk blocks in New Zealand

Mondelez International will introduce larger rounder pieces for Cadbury Dairy Milk in New Zealand for the same price point.

Natra to double North America sales with new Canadian factory

Spanish-based firm Natra claims sales for its private label division in North America will double within three years after it agreed a deal to rent a production facility in Canada...

News in brief

Ezaki Glico enters JV in Korea

Japanese firm Ezaki Glico has entered a joint venture with Haitai Confectionery Food to sell its Pocky chocolate candy in Korea.

Women bigger snackers than men, finds NPD Group

American women are 15% more likely to snack than their male counterparts, according to research from The NPD Group’s SnackTrack.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2013

Confectionery ‘a new way to control weight’ claims Carmit Candy

Confectionery is a novel way to control your weight, according to private label firm Carmit Candy which has just launched a weight management chocolate wafer bar.

Petra Foods buoyed by ‘vibrant’ Asian consumption in Q1

Singapore-based Petra Foods has reported first quarter profit gains in its branded consumer division driven by rising chocolate consumption in markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines and improved margins...

Diageo eyes ‘amazing opportunities’ in confectionery flavored spirits

Diageo technical director Luca Lupini believes confectionery flavored spirits are an ‘amazing opportunity’ for the firm, and insists the sub-category brings out the best in its R&D team.

Dispatches from Vitafoods Europe 2013

Chocolate an ‘amenable’ probiotic delivery vehicle, says DuPont

Chocolate is a strong carrier for probiotics and could present an opportunity for brand manufacturers to introduce products to improve gut health, according to supplier DuPont.

Cocoa processing migrating to origin, says ADM

Cocoa processing is increasingly moving to origin countries, particularly those in regions where chocolate consumption is rising such as Brazil and Indonesia, according to ADM Cocoa’s head of innovation.

News in brief

Hershey takes collaboration up a gear with first open innovation forum

More than 70 Hershey suppliers assembled in Baltimore on Wednesday (May 8) to attend an open innovation forum designed to help the firm improve and accelerate the innovation process via...

Fair Trade USA: Draft policy changes no hoax

Fair Trade USA claims that draft changes to its labeling policy allowing brands with 20% certified ingredients to carry its logo are justified in composite products like chocolate because components...

Exclusive

Cocoa flavanol content varies depending on origin, says Callebaut

Barry Callebaut’s innovation department has revealed that the level of cocoa flavanols, which are associated with a string of positive health effects, vary depending on where beans are sourced....

Ecuadorian cocoa wins vote of ADM and Cargill R&D chiefs

On a recent site visit, ADM Cocoa and Cargill both agreed that cocoa beans from Ecuadorian origin were the best tasting for chocolate.

Big Interview: Gene Dunkin, CEO Thompson Brands

Thompson Brands CEO: Novelty chocolate doesn’t have to be cheap and nasty

Founded in the same year that Edison created the first functioning light bulb, Thompson Brands is one of America’s oldest chocolate companies. But it hasn’t stayed in business this long...

Petra Foods to defend Nestlé claims of Kit Kat copying

Petra Foods says it will defend itself from accusations that its Delfi Take-It bar infringes Nestlé’s trademark on Kit Kat.

News in brief

Asian cocoa grind falls 10.8%

Cocoa grinds in Asia were widely expected to rise but have declined sharply by 10.8% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to last year.

Emerging markets more open to chocolate innovation, says R&D chief

Consumers in emerging markets are more receptive to new chocolate products than counterparts in established markets because they don’t have a point of reference, according to ADM Cocoa’s innovation chief....

NGO questions Fair Trade USA chocolate labeling ‘hoax’

Not-for-profit organization Fair World Project has criticized changes to Fair Trade USA's labeling policy, which allows chocolate to carry the seal when it contains a high percentage of other ingredients...