Food Processing - July 2008 - (Page 50) To o p s s co o p s By Diane Toops, News & Trends Editor putting the savoy in Truffle confectionery aficionados (like me) enjoy another great All candy Expo. “s avoy Truffle,” an ode to candy written by George Harrison and performed by the Beatles on their White Album, was inspired by Eric Clapton’s notorious sweet tooth and his predilection for all things chocolate. Apparently he’s not the only one who loves chocolate. In fact, in 2007, some 1,800 new confectionery products containing chocolate debuted, and the category is still going strong. Sales of premium chocolate grew more than 30 percent this year alone, and dark chocolate sales increased more than 50 percent, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI). All Candy Expo 2008, the largest candy and snack show in North America (and the most fun show I go to), unveiled more than 2,000 new confectionery creations and snack sensations May 20-22 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Representing the $275 billion industry, the National Confectioners Assn. brought together industry experts and more than 450 manufacturers to preview new products and determine the hottest trends for some 15,000 attendees from 69 countries. Nearly 30 percent of U.S. confectionery retail sales are generated by products less than two years old. So, in 2007, 3,261 new confectionery and 4,168 snack products debuted, according to Datamonitor’s Productscan. In the past 52 weeks, confectionery sales increased 3.4 percent in all trade channels (food, drug, convenience stores and mass merchandisers, excluding Wal-Mart), according to IRI. Sales were led by the gum category (up 11.8 percent). Sales also surged in the sugar-free category, which posted a 20 percent increase. Chocolate figures increased 2.6 percent, while non-chocolate candy sales declined by 0.2 percent. Licorice was up more than 10 percent, and the soft and chewy category rose 6 percent. “Nearly all American households – 97 percent to be exact – purchase confections,” said Carolyn Hendriksma, Hershey Co.’s senior director of U.S. insights and advanced analytics. She shared the podium in a discussion of consumer trends with Jill Manchester, vice president of immediate consump- tion at Kraft Foods. “Consumers buy candy or chocolate every 18 days, and 60 percent of purchases are unplanned.” “Confectionery products account for 34.4 percent of snacks purchased by consumers in the U.S. marketplace,” added Manchester. “Salty snacks constitute 22.8 percent of the snacking marketplace, and the $2.1 billion segment is growing at a rate of 3.6 percent led by Frito-Lay and private label brands.” And she added, “People are looking for more nutrition in their snacks.” Exhibitors went ga-ga over gum with benefits. According to a study by Nielsen Co., gum with functional benefits offer big growth potential. Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. rolled out Eclipse gum and mints, which include magnolia bark extract, a natural ingredient that helps kill the germs that cause bad breath. Cadbury Adams LLC rolled out Trident Xtra Care, formulated with Recaldent, to help replace lost minerals in teeth and protect them from decay and erosion. Personalization was another hot trend. One of my favorite offerings is not a traditional retail product; you have to order it online. Mars Snackfood U.S. takes its already popular special-order M&Ms beyond messages or custom colors. Now you can have your own picture (or that of your kids or pets) custom-printed on M&Ms chocolate candies. with a short message on the other side. E-mail: dtoops@putman.net blog with diane Diane shares her opinion on food industry matters with anyone who will listen or read. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, she dishes up commentary, news and other scoops at www.foodprocessing.com/toopsblog. And, we include two market research tables in the longer, web-based version of this column: sales figures for all the snack categories and new product introductions in this category in 2007. see the more complete report at www. Foodprocessing.com/toops0807. FoodProcessing.com 50 • Food Processing July 2008 http://www.foodprocessing.com/toopsblog http://www.FoodProcessing.com/toops0807 http://www.FoodProcessing.com/toops0807 http://foodprocessing.com
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