Taste preference and familiarity remain the most important drivers
behind peoples' breakfast choices, according to a new study by
market researcher the NPD Group.
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...
Blending palm kernel oil, extracted by supercritical carbon
dioxide, and palm oil leads to new cocoa butter replacers (CBR),
offering cheaper alternatives with good physical and chemical
properties.
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.
Ingredients giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has announced a
global growth strategy designed to boost its position in
agricultural processing, including expansion in its cocoa
processing business.
Mars' CocoaVia nutritional chocolate bar range has had its healthy
image boosted by a new study indicating that the product actively
reduces cholesterol levels.
Integrating social and environmental concerns into business
practices ultimately benefits a firm's bottom line as well as the
environment, according to the CEO of energy bar manufacturer Clif
Bar.
Food products that provide a measurable health benefit will ensure
healthy corporate growth in the future, delegates at Wild's
Heidelberg Convention were told.
Growing consumer demand for healthy snacks has prompted candy giant
Mars to launch its newly introduced flavonol-rich chocolate line in
individual serving sizes, designed for sale at convenience stores.
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.
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.
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...
A number of new products are targeted to bring an unusual end to
this year's month of fasting - from 'ancient' chocolate to
beetroot-flavoured coffee and vinegar-based alcoholic drinks.
Confectionery companies could always count on consumers to boost
sales at Christmas and other holiday seasons, but a report
published by Mintel adds more support to the notion that consumer
trends are changing.
Laughing gas - or nitrous oxide - produces chocolate with better
bubbles and a more intense melt-in-the-mouth flavour, claim UK
researchers,writes Lindsey Partos.
Confectionery makers continue to tap into consumer weight and
health concerns in a bid to boost stagnant sales as UK confectioner
Cadbury launches a new range of chocolate bars with under 99
calories.
Knocked by an economic slowdown and the strength of the Euro
against the US dollar, growth in turnover for the European food and
drink industry rose by a 1.9 per cent wisp from 2002 to 2003,
concludes a new report from the US government,...
Democrat Senator Tom Harkin yesterday sent a strong message to the
food industry, saying that it must move swiftly to stop the
advertising aimed at children that was creating a "botched"
generation.
Evidence backing the antioxidant powers of natural cocoa could
bring new opportunities for confectionery firms looking to boost
slacking sales in a saturated market, reports Lindsey Partos
.
Leading merchant of cocoa, sugar and coffee ED&F Man has
launched Corigins, a US-based supplier offering traceable, quality
sugar and cocoa ingredients, Philippa Nuttall reports.
The Whole Grains Council yesterday launched its food stamp to the
general public at the Natural Foods Expo West show taking place in
Anaheim. Cynthia Harriman, head of the council, told Philippa
Nuttall how the food industry has reacted...
Russia's consumer rights authority has released details of new
legislation designed to regulate the market for foods targeted
specifically at children in response to claims by manufacturers
that the lack of government rules was...
Major food commodity processor and ingredients supplier Archer
Daniels Midland (ADM) will expand cocoa operations in Brazil to
match expansion of current product lines, the firm said this week.
Democrats Tom Harkin and Eliot L. Engel wrote a hard-hitting piece
in the LA Times on Monday about the human cost of the chocolate
trade, but the cocoa industry has hit back by reaffirming its
commitment to responsible farming.
The number of imported chocolate products into Switzerland has
increased for the fourth year running - but will the EU's looming
CAP reforms soon bring this burgeoning trend to an end, asks Tom
Armitage.
The hurricanes that swept through the US last year caused great
devastation to many crops. Grapefruit prices, in particular,
soared, provoking flavor companies including IFF to come up with
alternatives, Philippa Nuttall reports.
Canadian firm SunOpta last week signed an agreement with MicroSoy
of Jefferson, Iowa to market its toasted soy flake ingredients in
the North American market.
Barry Callebaut, the world's top supplier of industrial chocolate
to the confectionery industry, has reported a 6 per cent fall in
first quarter sales revenues to CHF1.15bn ($0.97bn) as squeezed
margins bite into the bottom line.
Food companies are expecting a tough year in 2005 with competition
and price pressures in the food chain rising to the surface as the
key issues, reports Lindsey Partos.
The boss of UK starch and sugar group Tate & Lyle, currently
enjoying booming sales for its sweetener 600 times sweeter than
sugar, has hooked the European Businessman of the Year award from
leading US business magazine Forbes.
An improvement in the quality of flour ingredients is the focus of
new research by US government scientists who are taking a closer
look at hundreds of different proteins in the wheat kernels.
