Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

Unknown faces: Who are the farmers behind your cocoa and palm?

05-Jul-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Confectionery companies should collectively push suppliers to make traceability the norm rather than a premium service, as it is the only way to guarantee sustainable cocoa and palm oil, says The Forest Trust.

High cadmium levels in cocoa from Peru may impact chocolate quality

04-Jul-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Cocoa beans from many plantations in Peru contain cadmium levels far higher than the EU’s incoming thresholds for chocolate and cocoa products, finds research backed by the USDA.

Tougher advertising rules for marketing unhealthy foods at children come in to effect tomorrow

30-Jun-2017 By Emma Jane Cash

Strict rules banning adverts for high in fat, salt and sugar products in all children’s media come into effect tomorrow (Saturday 1 July), after numerous health campaigners called for tougher regulations.

Caobisco encourages deadlines for 100% certified cocoa and palm oil

28-Jun-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

EU confectionery trade body Caobisco is encouraging its members to set a date by which they will source all cocoa and palm oil from a certified sustainable source.

Study uncovers the truth behind work stress, sleep and junk food habits

27-Jun-2017 By Emma Jane Cash

Psychological experiences at work can shape eating habits and sleeping patterns, according to a recently published study.

'We will react and respond to any discriminatory measures against Malaysian palm oil,' warns minister

21-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

With a recent European resolution calling for tariffs and trade barriers against any palm oil linked to deforestation, Malaysia's minister for plantations and commodities warns: "We will react and respond accordingly to any discriminatory measures...

More child labor prevention needed as cocoa prices fall, warn UTZ and ICI

21-Jun-2017 By Douglas Yu

 A sharp decline in cocoa prices could put children at increased risk of child labor unless more is done, say the heads of UTZ and ICI.

Mars brand perception takes hit but expected to recover after recall

19-Jun-2017 By Joseph James Whitworth

Mars’ recall of chocolate for potential Salmonella is unlikely to bring long term damage in the eyes of consumers, according to YouGov.

Bayn to extend sweetener reach in Norway with distribution deal

19-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

Swedish supplier Bayn has inked a distribution deal with Norwegian flavour firm Storms for its range of sugar-reducing ingredients.

Sweden’s Real Stevia to bring sweetener back to its roots with Paraguayan plant

14-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

Swedish supplier The Real Stevia Company will open a processing plant in the sweetener's native Paraguay, adding to its portfolio an 'origin' stevia that is sustainably sourced and Paraguayan from farm to fork.

Apple iPhone iOS 11 available to the public in September

Talkin’ Things NFC Smart Packaging System integrates iPhone and Android

13-Jun-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Talkin’ Things has created a Near Field Communication (NFC) enabled Smart Packaging System that integrates iPhone and Android users.

Nestlé comes out top in report assessing chocolate companies for their progress tackling child labor

12-Jun-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Nestlé Cocoa Plan has come out top in a report by Stop the Traffik and Baptist World Aid Australia assessing the progress made by chocolate companies and certification organizations in tackling child labor in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. 

Syngenta to sell sugar beet business

12-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

Swiss biotech giant Syngenta will sell its sugar beet seed business to Danish company DLF Seeds.

PureCircle develops stevia plant 20 times sweeter than standard plant

09-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

Using traditional plant breeding techniques, PureCircle has developed a stevia plant with 20 times more sweet-tasting steviol glycosides than standard stevia, it says.

Lampados International launches 3D stevia sweetner

08-Jun-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Lampados International’s 3D sweetener for hot drinks, Liteez, has now been launched with stevia instead of sucralose.

Ferrero wins appeal as Belgian court tells Delhaize to stop saying 'no palm oil' is healthier & more sustainable

07-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

Ferrero has won a court case against Belgian retailer Delhaize for claiming its palm oil-free, Nutella-style spread is healthier and better for the environment than a product with palm oil.

Divine Chocolate expands UK and global listings

07-Jun-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Divine Chocolate is expanding its export portfolio announcing new listings with existing customers Waitrose and BP Connect in the UK, and Walgreens in the US.

Hungarian law to require "distinctive warning" labels on foods with inferior ingredients

06-Jun-2017 By Niamh Michail

As Bulgaria's prime minister slams dual quality foods as 'apartheid', a draft law by Hungary would see warning labels on foods with a different ingredient composition outside the country, but experts say it's on shaky legal ground.

UK food and drink exports post record Q1 growth

02-Jun-2017 By Will Chu

Britain’s food and drink exports remain robust thanks to the weaker pound with UK food and drink exports for Q1 2017 valued at £4.9 billion (€5.6 billion), according to the Food and Drink Federation (FDF).

Jindal Poly Films rumoured to buy European assets of DuPont Teijin Films

02-Jun-2017 By Jenny Eagle

India's largest polyester-based packaging film company Jindal Poly Films Ltd (JPFL) is allegedly in talks to buy the European production assets of DuPont Teijin Films (DTF) for an estimated $300m.

Pecan Deluxe hires Chamber International to improve its export efficiency following Brexit

02-Jun-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Pecan Deluxe which exports more than 75% of its bespoke cakes, biscuits, sauces and desserts to the EU, has hired overseas trade specialist, Chamber International, to offset any challenges posed by Brexit.

Unilever to switch to 100% renewable energy in UK plants

01-Jun-2017 By Emma Jane Cash

Renewable energy is now supplying 15 of Unilever’s UK sites, as part of its Sustainable Living Plan, which aims to hit the 100% mark by 2030.

A lack of political will is stalling action on obesity: McKinsey report author

26-May-2017 By David Burrows

Europe is struggling to get to grips with rising obesity levels because politicians are distracted by single policies and industry lacks the level playing field that regulation can create, says Richard Dobbs, author of the McKinsey report.

Trans-fats' cell death role more direct than previously thought: Study

26-May-2017 By Emma Jane Cash

The action of trans-fatty acids may be more damaging to cells than previously thought, as a study reveals the mechanism by which cell death occurs faster, leading to atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.

Be still my beating heart: Chocolate’s 'anti-fluttering' qualities highlighted

26-May-2017 By Will Chu

The link between moderate chocolate intake and lower risk of irregular heartbeat may be due to chocolate’s flavanol content, say researchers.

Glanbia Co-op completes share placement for creation of Glanbia Ireland

23-May-2017 By Jim Cornall

Glanbia Co-operative Society (Glanbia Co-op) has completed the placement of 8.7m ordinary shares in Glanbia plc to raise approximately €155m ($174m) for Glanbia Co-op.

Confectionery industry can go beyond RSPO palm standards, says Palm Done Right

23-May-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Confectionery firms can go further than RSPO standards by sourcing organic palm oil that meets the standards of Palm Done Right, claims the developer.

Food flops in Sweden's Museum of Failure: When NPD goes seriously wrong

22-May-2017 By Niamh Michail

From Colgate's lasagne to Heinz's purple and green ketchup, Sweden's Museum of Failure opens next month with several food and drink products on display. We ask the exhibition curator and a market analyst how big companies can get it so...

Univar to bring Bunge lecithin range to Europe

18-May-2017 By Niamh Michail

Bunge has partnered with ingredient distributor Univar to bring its lecithin brand BungeMaxx to Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Co-op UK to source 100% Fairtrade cocoa under hybrid model for retailers

17-May-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Co-op UK has invested in a women's leadership program in Côte d’Ivoire as part a move to source all cocoa for own label products as Fairtrade.

One in three adolescents is obese, say WHO

17-May-2017 By Emma Jane Cash

Health promotion campaigns are failing to reduce obesity in adolescents, according to a report published by World Health Organization (WHO) today.

Interpack 2017

GEA sees rise in label-on-stick lollipops

16-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

GEA showcased its Aquarius BunchWrapper wrapping machine at Interpack which is fitted with labelers for placing labels inside a wrapping film and on a stick.

Direct selling

‘The Cocoa Exchange’: Mars sets up e-commerce party program for chocolate

15-May-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars Chocolate North America is recruiting ‘curators’ to host parties promoting a specially created range from Mars, which can be sold on an online store.

Interpack 2017

GEA debuts Comas and Imaforni processing lines

15-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

GEA debuted its Comas cupcake production line and Imaforni multi-zone tunnel oven for crackers, cakes, pies, biscuits and cookie manufacturing at Interpack.

Mars joins Nestlé, Lindt and Ferrero in calorie reduction goal

15-May-2017 By Douglas Yu

Mars-Wrigley, Nestlé USA, Ferrero, Lindt, and Ferrara Candy say half of their individually wrapped products will be 200 calories or less by 2022.

Chocolate and candy tax proposed in the UK

12-May-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Pressure group Action on Sugar is urging the UK government to expand a sugar tax on soft drinks to chocolate and sweet confectionery – a move seen as “punitive” and "discriminatory” by industry bodies.

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Confections hold steady in face of the war on sugar

12-May-2017 By Elizabeth Crawford

Despite significant headwinds generated by the escalating war on sugar and increasing consumer preferences for healthy products, the confectionery industry is holding its own with sales climbing 1.2% in the last year to reach a whopping $25 billion, according...

Interpack 2017

Treofan turns to phthalate-free packaging films and mineral oil barriers

11-May-2017 By Jenny Eagle

Treofan has started to offer its customers phthalate-free packaging films on request using phthalate-free base polymers in the extrusion process.

Raisio confectionery sales hit by Poppets delistings

10-May-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Raisio has reported a decline in first quarter confectionery sales due to a weaker British pound and reduced UK demand for its brands, which include Poppets and Fox's Glacier.

Ferrero-owned Kinder secures licensing deal with Despicable Me 3

09-May-2017 By Douglas Yu

Kinder is rolling out Despicable Me-themed Surprise Eggs in the UK under a partnership with Universal Pictures.

Smells like teen spirit? Different age groups have specific food smells - and that's important for tailored NPD

26-Apr-2017 By Niamh Michail

Vanilla is associated with children, roasted nuts with seniors and floral notes with adults, and the findings will provide "a deeper understanding" for tailoring new product development (NPD) to age groups, according to a recent study.

Nestlé departs UK for Poland taking 300 Blue Riband jobs

26-Apr-2017 By Will Chu

Nestlé is to move production of its Blue Riband chocolate brand from the UK to Poland with a loss of around 300 jobs.

RSPO issues first ever RSPO Next palm oil certification

25-Apr-2017 By Niamh Michail

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has issued its first RSPO Next certification, a stricter voluntary add-on, to Colombian-based agribusiness Daabon Group.

How to reduce sugar scientifically and creatively in confectionery

24-Apr-2017 By Kathy Groves, Head of Microscopy, Leatherhead Food Research

Soluble dietary fibers, dextrins and added vanilla can help manufacturers cut sugar beyond reducing portion size, writes Leatherhead Food Research’s head of microscopy.

DuPont health & nutrition president on mega mergers, start-up successes and new product launch plans

21-Apr-2017 By Niamh Michail

Despite its recent mega mergers and billion-dollar business deals, DuPont is still very much focussed on collaborating with start-ups. “Not everything has to be invented in our labs,” its nutrition and health president Matthias Heinzel tells FoodNavigator.

PureCircle plans to bring glucosylated stevia to Europe with EFSA request

20-Apr-2017 By Niamh Michail

PureCircle has requested a safety opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for glucosylated stevia as it hopes to bring the enzymatically modified sweetener to the European market in 2018.

UK confectionery prices fall slightly despite Brexit

20-Apr-2017 By Oliver Nieburg

Supermarket price wars have forced UK confectionery down in spite of the Brexit vote, says market intelligence firm IRI.

Our own cocoa buying company in Ghana cuts out middlemen to benefit farmers, says Cargill

20-Apr-2017 By Douglas Yu

Cargill says its recently established licensed buying company (LBC) in Ghana helps cocoa farmers avoid being paid through a third party.

Orkla cuts palm oil from 98% of its Nordic sweets and snack brands

19-Apr-2017 By Niamh Michail

Orkla Confectionery & Snacks Sweden has removed palm oil from 98% of its products, meaning 1,500 fewer tons of saturated fat in consumers' food. But what were the technical challenges and how was it received by fellow members of the Roundtable...

Soaring packaged food sales gives industry three healthier options: Euromonitor

18-Apr-2017 By Niamh Michail

In some European countries, calorie intake from packaged food is four times greater than for fresh - a golden opportunity for industry to make processed food healthier in one of three ways, says one Euromonitor analyst.