Portuguese confectioner Imperial-Produtos Alimentares has added a new passionfruit chocolate bar to its Regina brand as it looks to seize on a market trend for exotic flavors.
Larger pack sizes, products with nuts and spicy and exotic fruit flavours are featuring heavily in new product development in the confectionery sector, according to Leatherhead Food Research.
Functional health ingredients have failed to move into mainstream confectionery and have not penetrated the market as expected, according to a report from Leatherhead Food Research.
Continued growth in the global confectionery market will be driven by increased demand for ethical and functional products in mature regions, and a rise in disposable income in emerging markets, according to industry analysts.
The global market for confectionery products is forecast to reach US$186.3bn by the year 2015, driven by the growing popularity of sugar-free categories, exotic flavours and region-specific products, claims a new report from Global Industry Analysts (GIA).
Norwegian group Orkla said the purchase of Kalev Chocolate Factory by its subsidiary Felix Abba will bolster the group’s expansion efforts in Estonia and neighbouring countries.
Developing regions will drive demand in the global chocolate sector which is predicted to have the fastest rate of growth of the global confectionery market during 2009 and 2013.
