We look back at the biggest news of this year including groundbreaking innovations, the push towards sustainable cocoa, and the launch of a new confectionery titan.
Confectionery manufacturers can reduce the breakage of candy canes and compare products to rivals with texture analyzers, according to eqipment supplier Texture Technologies.
ConfectioneryNews,com presents an interactive timeline taking a look back at some of the most significant mergers and acquisitions in the sector in 2012.
Consumer exposure to three caramel colours used in a variety of food and drink applications is ‘considerably lower’ than a 2011 scientific opinion published by EFSA suggested, says the Authority.
Lindt and Haribo’s trademark battle over golden bears in Germany will drag on until a Supreme Court decision despite yesterday’s ruling in favour of Haribo, sources told this site.
There is no end to the possibilities of functional chocolate bar development and firms must specialize to succeed in a sector dominated by big players, a Herza Schokolade product developer says.
Sugar prices in the US have fallen more than 40% since last summer and are now at “dangerously low levels for producers who are facing ever-increasing input costs”, according to Jack Roney, an economist with the American Sugar Alliance (ASA).
Hershey has filed a patent for an alternative to conventional coating and robing of confectionery products that uses film coating normally used to encase medical pills.
Regulatory restrictions and lessons learned from other markets are shaping the way food manufacturers are using stevia-derived sweeteners in Europe, according to supplier PureCircle.
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) claims that grape seed extracts can up the antioxidant content in cookies by 10 times when microencapsulated.
Lindt & Sprüngli's US subsidiary Ghirardelli Chocolate is facing a class action lawsuit over allegations that five of its products purported to contain white chocolate mislead consumers by containing none.
Crown Speciality Packaging is offering premium food and beverage brands in Europe easier access to a form of tin design intended to make their products stand out more.
From today food and supplement products marketed in the EU’s 27 member states must comply with the article 13, permitted list of health claims or face prosecution for misleading marketing.
Taura Natural Ingredients has developed a range of natural concentrated fruit pieces to specifically target and cater to the needs of artisan chocolatiers and bakers.
Market analysts have branded Barry Callebaut’s $950 million takeover of Petra Foods' cocoa division ‘pricey’, but the Swiss chocolate giant has defended the move despite admitting it will hurt its pockets in the short-term.
The Hershey Company has joined the advisory council of a new non-profit organization – the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) - that aims to develop industry-wide standards on sustainability.
Taxes on soft drinks and foods high in saturated fat and subsidies for fruits and vegetables could improve diets and overall health, according to a new review from New Zealand researchers.
Barry Callebaut is set to acquire the cocoa ingredients division of Petra Foods in a $950 million (€730m) deal that will see the firm ‘significantly strengthen its position in cocoa processing'.
With the December 14 enforcement of the EU's article 13 general function health claim list that includes 200+ approved claims and about 1500 rejections just two days away (after a six month lay-period), we polled key players for core reactions.
The European Commission (EC) has said it intends to conduct a study on whether expanded use of private label food and beverage products has restricted consumer choice and industry innovation.
India’s confectionery market has a ‘bright future’ and will be bolstered by a growing gifting culture and increasing rural consumption, a report suggests.
United Biscuits has injected huge efforts into new product development (NPD), range extensions and flavor variants as it heads into 2013 minus its flagship snacks arm KP Snacks.
As the formlisation of the main organ (article 13.1 list) of the nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) kicks in this week, Professor Ambroise Martin, the new chair of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) health claims panel, tells NutraIngredients...
Mars has announced the launch of a limited edition M&M’s mix containing new colors picked exclusively by fans on Facebook; including purple, aqua and dark pink.
Eight ingredients have won EU health claims that can be used to back messaging around metabolic syndrome – although the take-up to date has been lacklustre, says Euromonitor analyst, Diana Cowland.
Barry Callebaut’s joint venture cocoa partner Biopartenaire is now Rainforest Alliance Certified - a move that forms part of a wider puzzle of efforts towards sustainability, it said.
Packaging design is a crucial investment for premium chocolate firms in an overcrowded marketplace as it gives a product personality, which is essentially what a brand should be, says a graphic designer.
The chief executive of Danish chocolate and extruded whipping cake emulsifiers major Palsgaard has outlined the reasons behind the company's recent significant investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
The European Union’s food industry is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of competitiveness, according to a new report from FoodDrinkEurope, which outlines priorities for new EU-wide industrial policy.
Ferrero UK has lined up a flurry of seasonal promotion totting up to £6m ($9.6m) that it says puts it in second spot for food media spend this year, just behind Coca Cola.
The trend toward natural colours for foods, drinks and sweets is here to stay – but raises huge technical challenges, according to Steve Tolliday, principal product technologist at Nestlé’s Product and Technology Centre in York, UK.
December 14 brings the long awaited and widely disputed EU crack down on health claims. That means 222 general function claims are good to go, another 1500 or so prohibited. But what happens to B2B communications?
European Intersnack Group has snapped up United Biscuits’ KP Snacks for an undisclosed sum in a move that will enable the UK firm to 'dedicate focus' to its biscuits business, United Biscuits said.
Candy firms must consider a fifth season and hit Halloween hard for 2013 as the year is set to harbor challenging volumes due to shorter holidays, the National Confectioners Association has warned.
Japanese supplier Ajinomoto’s chilli extract has won European Union Novel Foods status at various levels in 22 foodstuffs including flavoured waters, meal replacements, baked goods and sugar-free gum.
Mondelēz International - the new name for the snacking arm of Kraft Foods - is preparing to start biscuit production for the first time at its site in Sheffield.
China’s potato chip consumption is low with consumers choosing biscuits, candy and chocolate instead, but the US and France top the global consumption charts, new research shows.
The key to winning over Chinese consumers is mastering distribution strategies, according to a new report by Rabobank, which also suggests that the country should be on the radar of European and American processed food companies that are facing flat growth...
Steve Morrision was the COO at Provexis when the UK start-up won the EU‘s first ever article 13.5 health claim for its blood circulation-boosting tomato extract called Fruitflow in 2009. The now-consultant has serious qualms about how the EU’s health...