Chocolate producers Nestlé and Barry Callebaut have joined forces
to improve their respective positions in the competitive European
market as the maker of Smarties chocolate hands over facilities and
a supply contract to the Swiss...
UK-based Cadbury Schweppes is set to be prosecuted under
environmental health laws after the company allegedly released
chocolate for sale that was contaminated with salmonella, according
to the Guardian newspaper.
US confectionery giant Hershey announced disappointing fourth
quarter results today and, in a bid to reverse the downturn, vowed
to increase investment in core brands as well as pursue the new
rapidly growing niche markets of dark...
Hershey-owned organic chocolate company Dagoba has launched four
new additions to its confectionery range to keep consumers
indulging after the new year festivities.
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.
Weak performance in the UK combined with financial irregularities
in Nigerian operations has added up to an unsettled year for global
confectionery giant Cadbury Schweppes, according to a trading
update announced today.
The US based Chocolate Manufacturers Association (CMA) has released
a guide to cacao content labels in order to demystify confused
chocolate consumers.
Barry Callebaut has produced a new website entirely devoted to
promoting the nutritional benefits of cocoa in an effort to
counteract the increasingly unhealthy image of chocolate products
and their unpopularity in a health-conscious...
The International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO) has revised its gloomy
cocoa estimate of a 5,000 tonne deficit to predict a global surplus
of 80,000 tonnes of cocoa in the coming year, assuring
manufacturers of a steady supply.
Four days after announcing the recall of twenty-five chocolate
products due to salmonella contamination, Hershey's and the
Canadian food inspection agency (CFIA) still refuse to reveal the
exact source and cause of the contamination.
Ethical chocolate company Green & Black's has devised an
innovative new way to raise its socially responsible profile in the
confectionery industry with a unique Christmas concept.
A new trend for cocoa-based cosmetics could prove advantageous to
chocolate manufacturers as confectionery giant Nestlé leads the way
- joining forces with beauty group L'Oreal.
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
For the first time in the gum maker's long history, the William
Wrigley Jr Company has appointed a non-family member to take over
the leadership of the global confectionery business.
Chocolate companies are uniting with the World Cocoa Foundation
(WCF) to encourage sustainable cocoa production in West Africa and
therefore strengthen the supply chain to Western manufacturers.
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.
Cocoa bean producer Pan Sino International has announced plans to
build Singapore's largest cocoa processing plant, increasing cocoa
bean supply for manufacturers.
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.
The burgeoning organic chocolate market is taking off thanks to an
increase in ethical consumerism and the willingness of
confectionery makers worldwide to exploit the trend.
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.
US based confectionery maker Hershey has launched a new range of
chocolate, designed to offer consumers a more upmarket version of
the traditional indulgence.
The UK Cadbury salmonella scare continues to dog the company as its
local council applies for around £30,000 (€44,500) in funding to
investigate safety breaches at the factory where contamination
occurred.
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.
A cool spring and late Easter has contributed to booming business
at Swiss chocolate maker Lindt, who announced it has more than
doubled its profits in the first half.
There have been a number of developments in the confectionery
industry in the last week, not least of which is the news that UK
retailer ASDA is attempting to blend popular culture with novelty
candy.
European confectionery giant Nestle has overcome rising energy
costs to report strong profits in the company's first half results
announced today, but admits there remains room for improvement in
UK brands.
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...
Global confectionery maker Cadbury Schweppes has opened its first
R&D centre in south-east Asia, as it seeks to drive growth in
emerging markets like China, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
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.
New opportunities for health-focussed products in the confectionery
industry have bolstered the market, which is estimated to increase
by 16 per cent in the next four years to more than €115bn.
