US Halloween confectionery sales outshone expectations in 2013 driven by strong promotions from retailers and a noteworthy boost in the final week, according to the National Confectioners Association (NCA).
Nordic pick & mix firm Candyking intends to trade 49% of the company’s shares on the Nordic stock exchange to raise brand awareness, pursue acquisitions and to reduce debts.
US consumers have voted for their favorite confectionery brands in five categories: chocolate, premium chocolate, gum, candy and cookies. Find out the results here.
Irish dairy ingredients specialist Glanbia Nutritionals once filled its sights almost exclusively with the sports nutrition sector, but the explosion of interest in protein means the ‘ordinary’ mainstream food industry is a bigger and bigger target.
Swedish-based confectioner Cloetta has improved its third quarter sales compared to the same period last year as most Scandinavian confectionery markets as well as Italy registered growth.
Mondelez International has fallen short of sales expectations in the third quarter (Q3) as the slowing Chinese economy dented consumption, particularly in its biscuit category.
Mondelez-owned Cadbury India has lost three of its Chocolate Eclairs label trademarks as part of an eight year tussle with Indian conglomerate ITC Ltd, but is playing down the consequences.
King, the company behind popular mobile game Candy Crush, has introduced a brand of real-life Candy Crush Candies that will be sold at Dylan’s Candy Bar and other retailers.
Family-owned confectionery maker Sánchez Cano, which manufactures gummi’s, marshmallows, liquorice, candy and bubble gum, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Korean confectioner Lotte is aiming to increase its overseas sales six fold in the next five years led by growth in China, India and Russia, the firm said in its first half (H1) results.
Mondelez International subsidiary Cadbury India has been granted an interim injunction by a high court In Delhi preventing rival Lotte from selling products alleged to infringe Cadbury’s Choclairs trademark.
What are the leading confectioners serving up this Halloween? ConfectioneryNews explores the latest additions to Halloween lineups from big players such as Mars, Hershey and Nestlé.
Consumers desire flavors and packaging that evoke the wider Fall season and not just Halloween, says Hershey as the choc giant introduces a string of products to make the most of the period.
Slow growth in French confectionery runs deeper than the economic crisis since consumers are simply more health-conscious than their European cousins, according to market research.
US Halloween sales are expected to rise just 1% this year as the season falls on a weekday meaning people are less likely to plan parties, says the National Confectioners Association (NCA).
UK firm Crediton Confectionery intends to move to non-meat gelatin for its confections to differentiate itself from bigger players after overseeing a significant rise in production volumes since the firm was acquired by new owners in 2011.
A coroner has written to the UK’s Department of Health warning of the dangers of high-caffeine confectionery after a man accidentally overdosed on caffeinated energy mints.
Nestlé organic sales growth slowed to 4.4% in the first nine months of the year, compared to 6.1% in the same period last year, hit by weaker demand from emerging markets and ongoing recession in Europe.
Confectionery giant Mars has defended its use of artificial colors in M&Ms after being urged to ditch them in a petition on change.org accompanied by a press release from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) describing them as “neurotoxic...
Oreo maker Mondelez International will introduce video display units near checkouts that estimate a person’s age and gender to deliver targeted advertising.
Special Edition: Hygienic Design & Quality Testing
Auditory testing to measure the crunch noise a product will make when it is chewed in the mouth is quickly becoming widespread in the confectionery industry.
Special Edition: Hygienic Design & Quality Testing
The confectionery industry will move from aluminum surfaces on processing and packaging equipment to stainless steel in the next five years in order to raise sanitation standards, according to Bosch.
Equipment supplier Carle&Montanari-OPM has spotted a rise in the use of retail-ready packaging among confectionery firms in the US and claims picker cell robots allow great flexibility to pack pre-merchandized chocolate and candy.
French ingredients firm Naturex claims to be the first supplier to offer natural blue spirulina coloring for lipophilic confectionery applications such as compound coatings.
The majority of UK consumers who admit to regularly buying confectionery in-store do not purchase confectionery online, according to research by Kantar Media, which says confectionery has huge growth prospects on the web.
Sugar confectionery production volumes in Russia will soon outpace Germany as multinationals establish manufacturing bases in the growing region, according to Leatherhead Food Research.
Bosch Packaging Technology claims that flexibility is crucial for smaller businesses as it launches two new bagging machines at Pack Expo designed for smaller confectioners looking for quick and easy changeovers between products.
Cargill says it is diversifying its carrageenans portfolio in both location and species to combat the associated supply risks of the texturing ingredient derived from seaweed.
There are far fewer confectionery manufacturers to speak to at trade fairs after huge industry consolidation, which has led to more automation, according to processing supplier Bainbridge Associations.
Booming demand from the growing middle classes in emerging markets mean confectionery industry investments in processing and packaging equipment will grow 4% to 5% annually, according to a report by processing and packaging association PMMI.
As we approach the first year anniversary of the launch of Mondelēz International, ConfectioneryNews peers into the chocolate box of the young confectionery titan.
About a year on from OatSweet’s initial push into the U.S. sweetener marketplace, Oat Tech CEO and founder, Dr. Paul Whalen, caught up with FoodNavigator-USA on the growth areas—both expected and unforeseen—for this natural, oat-based sweetener.
Korean firm Lotte’s recent acquisition of Kazakstan’s leading confectioner forms part of a carefully planned expansion strategy that gives it a “jumping board” to Russia and Central Asia, according to an analyst at Mintel.
Start-up candy manufacturer, The Candy Makers, which produces a sugar-free range for WeightWatchers in Scandinavia, is due to sign a distribution deal with Canada.
One of Asia-Pacific’s leading authorities on natural food colours has urged Australian and New Zealand food manufacturers, marketeers and media to show greater leadership in converting to natural colours.
