Tangerine hard gums get green and clean label makeover

11-Mar-2010 - Last updated on 11-Mar-2010 at 12:50 GMT

UK based Tangerine confectionery said it has switched to greener packaging and has reformulated the hard eating gums in its Lion range to meet the growing demand for clean labels and environmentally sustainable products.

The company did not provide any detail as to the source ingredient used in its conversion to naturals but a spokesperson for Tangerine told ConfectioneryNews.com that the reformulation method did not impact its manufacturing process and as such it was able to ensure its gum line retained its traditional texture and slow flavour release mechanism.

Tangerine said that its traditional confectionery range, which includes Sports Mixture, Midget Gems, Fruit Pastilles and Fruit Salad, has a loyal adult customer base due to its 100 years of heritage.

“While continuing to please these established fans, the brand is also looking to build on this and attract new consumers with a natural reformulation, and new modern packaging,” said the manufacturer.

The spokesperson said that the sweet manufacturer is using 20/20 micron oriented polypropylene film for its 215g and 113g bag options: “In order to reduce our impact on the environment the thickness of the film used for the bags has been reduced over the last few years and all of the cardboard used for the weigh out boxes and the retail display outer cases can be recycled.”

The manufacture produces various popcorn, sugar candy and chocolate brands and has made a play in recent years to re-establish so called ‘iconic’ UK brands to tap into nostalgic consumer trends in the country.

In April last year Tangerine relaunched Sherbet Fountains with a new re-sealable plastic tube as part of this strategy to breath new life into old favourites, updating them with more convenient packaging.

Spillage problems with the old packaging were overcome, and according to the company spokesperson, the new look Sherbet Fountains have proved popular with consumers.

Between last May and November, sales volumes of the sweet have increased 20 per cent.

Tangerine Confectionery is the product of three acquisitions over the past three years, bringing together Toms of Denmark, the confectionery arm of Burton Foods and Monkhill Confectionery.