A new chocolate bar which claims to be made from sustainable cocoa
plantations was launched in New York late last month with high
hopes of building on the growing awareness of ethical products
among today’s consumers. Chris Jones...
Research published this month suggests that some cocoa and
chocolate products have a very high flavanol content, a factor
which makes them good at protecting the body against cardiovascular
disease. But all chocolate products do not...
Research from the US suggests that women could have a sweeter tooth
than men - good news for confectionery manufacturers looking to
roll out new products with a feminine slant but less so for women
seeking to keep control of their...
Chocolate makers could see savings from new research that sets out
to tackle the common problem of fat bloom, an unsightly white
powdery film that forms on the outside of chocolate, writes
Lindsey Partos.
Confectionery giant Mars is one of several food companies
collaborating on a new research project designed to provide more
information about phytonutrients, beneficial compounds found in a
range of products, including chocolate.
More research has underlined the heart health benefits of dark
chocolate, shown in a Greek study to improve healthy blood flow and
prevent clots forming.
Food makers will be encouraged to use a low-calorie sweetener
supplied by Danish ingredients firm Arla Food Ingredients with a
new study showing a chocolate bar made with the prebiotic
ingredient is very low in glycaemic load (GL)...
Two of the biggest chocolate makers in the UK are to launch
products which will directly compete with some of each other's
biggest brands - an indication, perhaps, that the rich vein of new
product innovation of the last few...
Hanging as a persistent threat to the chocolate industry witches'
broom disease is capable of wiping out entire cacao crops and
sending the price of chocolate rocketing. Despite ongoing research
into the threat confirmed by the...
US agri-giant Cargill has carved a deeper position in the European
chocolate market after Swiss firm Nestlé sold two cocoa processing
activities to the acquisitive private company.
UK scientists are warning that world chocolate production could
fall dramatically if diseases, which have devastated South American
cultivation of cacao (the raw material used for producing
chocolate) over the past 15 years, were...
Despite cheaper alternatives to cocoa butter on the market and new
European rules allowing vegetable fats in chocolate formulations,
uptake for the replacers has been slower than expected as reticent
food makers and marketers stick...
Keeping French consumers interested in chocolate has been the
driving force behind brand owners' investment in innovation in
recent years, and the latest product launches highlighted by the
Global New Products Database (GNPD)...
With a plethora of brands from which to choose and long-established
patterns of consumption, the prospects of significant growth in the
French chocolate market might seem remote. But a new report
suggests that there is plenty of movement...
Small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate eaten over a
two-week period significantly improved blood vessel function,
report US researchers this week, without increasing blood
cholesterol levels.
Arla Foods Ingredients is to launch chocolate using tagatose
sweetner supplied by Spherix Incorporated for products to be sold
in the Australia and New Zealand markets.
The dynamic performance of the Romanian chocolate sector continues
to gather pace with the announcement from Supreme Chocolat that it
has increased its sales in the first quarter by an impressive 120
per cent.
Global chocolate supplier Barry Callebaut said that recent
acquisitions had boosted its six month figures, with net profit
showing double-digit growth. But low cocoa prices affected
activities at the processing arm of the company.
A new US study reports that the higher cocoa, lower sugar content
and antioxidant properties of premium dark chocolate are making it
a more attractive for health-conscious consumers, especially the
growing number of those counting...
Improving the molecular structure of certain foods such as ice
cream and cocoa, can dramatically improve the taste, texture and
mouth feel of a particular product. This is something Marcos
Bobzin, Buhler's product manager for...
Although growth has been rapid for Nestlé in the Russian
confectionery sector, there are a number of challenges to be
tackled in order to ensure future expansion - low per capita
consumption and ingredients supplies being the primary...
Innovation in cosmetics has taken an erotic turn. Pop singer
Jessica Simpson has launched a new line of beauty products that
features whipped body cream and chocolate body gloss.
The British are the biggest consumers of chocolate in Europe,
munching their way through more than 10 kg each every year. A
reflection of Britain's ongoing love affair with snacking - and
consumers' reluctance to choose...
The British are the biggest consumers of chocolate in Europe,
munching their way through more than 10 kg each every year. A
reflection of Britain's ongoing love affair with snacking - and
consumers' reluctance to choose...
Eating two portions of chocolate a day may help prevent
cardiovascular heart disease claims Masterfoods USA. The company's
new functional chocolate, CocoaVia, contains plant flavonols and
phytosterols believed to reduce cholesterol...
One of Romania's leading and longest established chocolate makers,
Excelent, has relaunched its Kandia branded chocolate under a
multi-million dollar investment. The money has also included an
extensive revamp of its production...
Hard negotiations followed by new European rules put to bed
long-standing disputes over labelling issues that hung over
chocolate manufacturers. As more European manufacturers turn to
vegetable fats, the challenge is on for ingredients...
Controversial changes over two years ago to Europe's chocolate
rules - that had cocoa puritans and producers up in arms - came
into force in the summer, providing ingredients companies with a
raft of new opportunities.
Japanese chocolate output remained relatively constant throughout
the first six months of 2003, according to the latest figures from
the Chocolate and Cocoa Association of Japan.
House of Brussels Chocolates has announced the development of a new
medical advisory board to investigate and research the use of
chocolate as a carrier for dietary supplements, functional foods
and pharmaceutical compounds to treat...
Glisten has taken its first step towards strengthening its position
as a niche food group with the acquisition of Sunya, another
confectionery maker, for around £1m.
The UK's FSA has published guidance notes to accompany the new
cocoa and chocolate product regulations in an effort to achieve a
'more consistent application and enforcement of the regulations'.
The Balance Bar brand has added three new sweet-tasting flavours to
its nutrition bar range, including a chocolate cookie dough
flavour, which it claims remains a healthy snack food.
Chocotelegram, an innovative confectionery product allowing
consumers to send personalised messages to their friends and
families is set to hit retail shelves in Europe and the US over the
next few months.
Nestlé is the most popular chocolate producer in Russia, but other
international companies still play second fiddle to the numerous
local (or even regional) producers there. But the market is set to
grow over the next five years,...
Premium chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli has reported a rise in
sales for 2002 despite tough trading conditions in most of its key
markets - a performance it attributed to a consistent strategy of
expansion and innovation.
There have been a raft of Fairtrade products launched in the UK in
recent months, led mainly by the retailer Co-op, but the latest
launch comes from Cafédirect - a 100 per cent Fairtrade drinking
chocolate targeting the high-growth...
Spain and Italy have acted disproportionately in obliging products
made with vegetable fats other than cocoa butter to be labelled as
'chocolate substitutes', the European Court of Justice has ruled. A
simple mention on...
The world's leading chocolate producers have joined forces with
international labour organisations to promote ethical production
practices in West Africa, the main cocoa-growing area. Child labour
is top of the list of current...
Britain is still a nation with a sweet tooth, with chocolate
reigning supreme when compared to other European countries.
According to a new report from market analysts Datamonitor, the
popularity of chocolate and sweets continues...
HVC Lizard Chocolate has joined up with PepsiCo subsidiary South
Beach Beverage Company to develop a range of 'good-for-you'
chocolate bars with added taurine, ginseng and guarana to boost
energy levels.
New research from the US claims that new, high-yielding selections
of Theobroma cacao, may offer new hope to the world's cacao
growers - and to chocolate manufacturers and chocolate lovers
across the world.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said this week that it is
to establish a standard of identity for white chocolate.
The standard will provide for the use of the term `white
chocolate' as the common or usual name of...
In the US, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has won the National
Paperbox Association's Gold Award for its new line of gift
packaging designed for franchised Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
retail stores.
A chocolate maker that was the first foreign-owned company in China
to be declared bankrupt has been sold to a state-owned firm, the
auction house that handled the sale said.