Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company Metrohm has developed a
test to determine the exact sugar content of chocolate - helping
manufacturers ensure consistency on the production line.
Italian confectionery supplier OPM Chocolate has developed a new
chocolate depositor which claims to boost efficiency levels on
moulding lines while delivering on accuracy.
Major UK retailer Sainsbury's is diving into the charitable
chocolate market this month with the launch of new Fairtrade
chocolate slabs, Chocpix, in collaboration with the Divine
chocolate company.
The results of a consumer survey on healthy chocolate suggests that
the substance once considered solely as a sweet confectionery item
has made huge strides towards the realm of health foods.
With Easter fast approaching, UK based gift service Gourmet Games
has devised a new way to combine the consumer trend for single
origin, health-boosting chocolate with novelty confectionery for
the holiday season.
UK retailer Waitrose has become the latest store to target the
mounting number of ethically-minded consumers this Christmas with a
new range of Fairtrade chocolates hitting shelves in time for the
festive shopping spree.
Further evidence of the health benefits of chocolate has come to
light in a new study - giving manufacturers yet another route into
the functional food niche.
The US based Chocolate Manufacturers Association (CMA) has released
a guide to cacao content labels in order to demystify confused
chocolate consumers.
As confectionery makers jostle for a share in the increasingly
popular organic market, UK company Venture Foods has launched two
new additions to its niche organic and fairtrade chocolate bars.
A new horizontal wrapper suitable for handling delicate products
such as tray baked goods, biscuits and chocolate confectionery has
been developed by Bosch packaging subisidary, Tevopharm.
Mars' CocoaVia nutritional chocolate bar range has had its healthy
image boosted by a new study indicating that the product actively
reduces cholesterol levels.
Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut is gearing up for the
chocolate market of the future, with the final go-ahead for its
first production plant in China
Singapore-based healthcare company Eu Yan Sang is hoping to make an
impression on the European chocolate market with a range of sweets
containing traditional Chinese herbs.
New chocolate moulding equipment which can be cleaned quickly and
easily has been developed by British firm Spooner Vicars,
targetting manufacturers wary of hygiene considerations.
European ingredients firm Puratos is the latest company to tap into
the trend towards product traceability with a new range of
origin-specific chocolates hailing from prime cocoa growing areas.
Innovation may be key in the premium chocolate market but
traditional products are still bestsellers among manufacturers,
according to equipment supplier Chocolate World.
UK sweet manufacturers could soon see a slump in retailer sales
following talks between the Department of Health and industry
bodies to wean consumers away from convenience shop confectionery.
UK Fairtrade chocolate company, Divine, has launched a new variety
of its signature chocolate bar in a bid to further entice consumers
into the ethical cocoa market.
Europeans are more clued up than their American counterparts when
it comes to the benefits of dark chocolate, according to a US
company educating the market through their range of functional
health-boosting cocoa products.
Chocolate manufacturers suffering from a dip in sales of seasonal
products should consider introducing products for lesser holidays,
including traditionally ethnic celebrations, according to Mintel.
The sugar alcohol maltitol is the most promising polyol sweetener
to replace sucrose in chocolate, says new research from Turkey, a
result that could lead to new types of sugar-free chocolate to the
booming "diet" candy...
An industry expert has warned that the situation could be 'dire'
for the chocolate industry if ways of preventing cacao diseases are
not effectively explored.
The domination of the confectionery market by global heavy weights
such as Nestlé, Mars and Cadbury Schweppes is forcing small
companies to target highly specialised markets, according to a new
report.A number of high profile mergers...
South Korea's leading confectionery maker Lotte has bought a
Shanghai-based chocolate company, as it seeks to expand in the
fast-growing Chinese market.
Fuelled by a combination of health concerns and changing tastes,
dark chocolate has become one of the most rapidly growing sectors
in the confectionery market in the last year.
Confectioners could soon find themselves doing their bit to help
the environment following the news that scientists have found a way
to extract hydrogen from chocolate waste.
Body Shop International has donated its shares in Fairtrade
chocolate enterprise, The Day Chocolate Company - giving the money
back to the cocoa farmers who originally founded the business.
New imaging techniques are being developed that could be used to
monitor the onset of the common and costly problem of chocolate
bloom - and confectionery manufacturers are being invited to
pioneer the process.
IndulgeInChocolate.com, an online gourmet chocolate business, has
extended its line of top-end products in order to tap growing
demand for quality treats.
Chocolate and drinks group Cadbury Schweppes will spend A$24.5
million (€14.3m) on an expansion at its chocolate factory in
Tasmania, it announced last week, citing growing demand for its
chocolate bars in Australia
This month's All Candy Expo in Chicago saw an impressive range of
dark chocolate launches, suggesting that innovation is still
possible in this well-established segment.
Hershey's expansion of its health and nutrition initiative
underlines the extent to which chocolate makers are keen to tap
into consumer health concerns.
