New Product Development from Toblerone to Hotel Chocolat
Staying up to date with the newest confectionery products, trends and flavour combinations on the market is key to keeping on top of the fast-paced and competitive sweet sector.
Mars
What’s Mars’ convenience store strategy for 2025?
The global confectionery giant revealed its upcoming plans at this year’s 2024 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) event.
Mars scales its sustainable dairy sourcing efforts
Manure management, getting methane under control and seaweed feeds are among its climate-smart initiatives
Sustainability in confectionery: Six ways to drive a greener future
In recent years, consumer demand and evolving government regulations have led to significant advancements in sustainability within the confectionery sector.
New Product Development
What’s hot in confectionery? New product development from Cadbury to Smart Sweets
From cannabis-infused candy to a better-for-you Twix, meet the latest confectionery launches disrupting the industry
Mars-owned Hotel Chocolat opens 25 new stores
Chocolatier bets big on bricks and mortar stores as it begins a new era under new ownership. Here’s why Hotel Chocolat thinks IRL retail still matters
Inside Mars Wrigley's strategy to tap emerging global markets
The confectionery giant Mars Wrigley shares its five-point plan for hitting an untapped market of five billion consumers
Seasonal innovation
How to get ready for halloween 2024
As the majors finalise their campaigns for candy’s ‘biggest moment’ how can smaller confectioners turn spooky season into sales?
What's hot in confectionery? New product development from Skittles to Reese's
From Skittles supporting Pride to a supersized Reese’s Cup, these are the latest products launching around the globe
Sweets & Snacks Expo
Mars-Wrigley appeals to Gen Z through product innovation, including gummies and peanut butter
Gen Z consumers prefer new snacking experiences "that are talking to them in an authentic way," Mike Gilroy, the Mars-Wrigley’s VP of trade development and sponsorship, told FoodNavigator-USA at the Sweets & Snacks Expo earlier this month.
The top five sustainability trends in confectionery
As consumers’ ethical values become ever more baked into their confectionery choices, from Hershey to Mondelez and Nestle, we explore the ways brands are pivoting to more sustainable practises
Will new ‘shrinkflation’ labelling in France truly boost transparency?
France is preparing to enforce ‘shrinkflation’ signposting in retail, but critics are unconvinced the measure goes far enough.
World Cocoa Conference 2024
Oxfam slams large chocolate companies at World Cocoa Conference
Against a backdrop of cocoa topping $11,000 per metric ton on the futures market for the first time last week, Oxfam says its experts will be highlighting the discrepancies in farmgate price at this week’s World Cocoa Conference (WCC) in Brussels (21-24...
Brands
Mars Australia rebrands iconic ‘Malteasers’
Mars Wrigley has announced it is renaming its Maltesers brand to ‘Malteasers’ in what the company is describing as an ‘Ah-ha’ moment.
Retail
trüfrü launches in UK to shake up Frozen Fruit Snack Range
Award-winning frozen snack brand, trüfrü has launched in the UK market with a national listing secured in Tesco with more outlets to be announced in the coming months.
News
Two Unilever leaders join Mars Wrigley
Two new recruits will join the senior leadership team at Mars Wrigley Global Emerging Markets (GEM) as the snacking business looks to strengthen its global position and innovation offering.
M&M’S Cookie Dough hits the shelves across Australia
Brand owner Mars Wrigley is rolling out a new flavour ‘world-first’ innovation across Australia this month, combining consumers’ love of chocolate & cookie dough into one bite-sized treat.
Environment
Mars reuses old iconic adverts to raise consumer awareness of climate action
Mars Incorporated has launched a first-of-its-kind digital and out-of-home campaign that ‘reuses’ fan-favourite advertisements, giving them a second life and claiming the new messages bring hope and progress around climate action.
How Mars is rethinking reformulation on its path to net zero
As part of Mars Inc.’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the confectionery major is optimising product recipes to include more environmentally friendly ingredients.
M&As
Mars buys luxury UK chocolate brand Hotel Chocolat in shock deal
Mars has bought ailing UK business Hotel Chocolat for approximately £534 million ($662.25 million) in a deal announced to the London stock market this morning.
Confectionery
UK choc lovers hit with triple whammy as Caramac, Milkyway Crispy Rolls and Animal bars discontinued
As if the news that Nestlé is discontinuing the decades-old favourite Caramac bar had left a bad taste in the mouth for some, UK consumers have been equally left devastated by the announcement from Mars that it is ending production of the Milkyway Crispy...
Mars, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, and Givaudan on how AI can improve NPD
NPD takes time. Long hours of R&D lie between an idea and a product launch. AI, however, is helping a range of major companies generate product ideas, as well as do market research and gain insights into the minds of consumers.
Retail
Mars raises cost of Galaxy bars while reducing size in another example of ‘shrinkflation’
Mars Incorporated, owners of the popular Galaxy bar in the UK, has admitted to reducing its size while raising the price of a bar - in another example of so called ‘shrinkflation’.
Sustainability
Confectionery giant Mars to invest $1bn to cut greenhouse gases from its supply chain
Mars incorporated has announced it will cut carbon in half – or by roughly 15 million metric tons – by 2030 across its full value chain and will continue investing in climate action despite a weaker global economy.
Sustainabilty
Mars bars undergo paper packaging trials in UK
Mars Wrigley UK has announced that its Mars bars will be wrapped in more environmentally friendly paper packaging rather than its traditional plastic wrapper.
Sweets & Snacks 2023
Sweets & Snacks closes Chicago with a record-breaking show
This year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo will be remembered for many reasons, not least because it was the last one to be held in Chicago, its home for the past 26 years.
Sustainability
Dove Galaxy uses brand power to empower more women in the cocoa sector
Dove Galaxy said it will focus on women empowerment within cocoa growing communities and Dove Galaxy retail markets as part of an ambitious sustainability pledge to help one million people thrive by 2030 in its value chain.
Appointments
Mars beefs up its commitment to innovation with new head of R&D
Mars Food & Nutrition has announced that former Unilever executive Karina Zimerfeld has been appointed Vice President of the business’ R&D function, headquartered in London.
Reformulating HFSS, without sacrifice: Join us at Positive Nutrition 2023
Innovative R&D strategies and the onboarding of new ingredient solutions are unlocking clean label opportunities to cut salt, fat and sugar – without sacrificing taste. Find out how at FoodNavigator’s Positive Nutrition Summit.
Moving beyond COVID dynamics: How Mars Wrigley, Upfield are retooling approaches, marketing to consumers in 2023
As 2023 comes into focus, CPG brands are addressing yet more changes to supply chains, marketing, and how they approach consumers, retailers, and the markets they serve, as shared in a recent IRI and Boston Consulting Group webinar.
Safety
Authorities fine Mars Wrigley for factory accident after contractors fell into chocolate tank
Confectionery giant has been fined £12,000 ($14,500) by US federal workplace authorities after two workers at one of its factories fell into a vat of chocolate and had to be rescued.
Marketing
M&Ms ‘spokescandies’ given new roles by Mars in change to Super Bowl LVII commercial
Mars Wrigley is attempting to move on from its volte-face on its M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ after attracting controversy and a media backlash in US over their rebranded appearance and replacing them with actress Maya Rudolph.
Social media
M&M’s ‘spokescandies’ silenced after media backlash in US
Brand tweeted it would be taking ‘an indefinite pause from the spokescandies’ and will be replaced by actress Maya Rudolph.
Marketing
M&M'S female ‘spokescandies’ Green, Brown and Purple flip the status quo for International Women's Day
Mars has announced its M&M'S brand will release a limited edition all-female pack of candies to celebrate International Women's Day on Wednesday, March 8.
Mars returns for Super Bowl LVII ad spot with M&M’S
Mars has announced that the brand is kicking off 2023 with a return to the Super Bowl - and a specially commissioned ad for M&M'S.
Free-from
Chocolate lovers revel in Veganuary with special launches from major brands including NOMO, Lindt and Mars
Thousands of vegan products, including confectionery, have been launched around the world during ‘Veganuary’ to capitalise on the ever-increasing number of people taking on the pledge.
M&As
Mars snaps up premium whole-fruit snacking brand Trü Frü
Mars, Incorporated has acquired better-for-you, whole-fruit snacking brand Trü Frü for an undisclosed amount, the confectionery giant has announced.
Business
Dove Chocolate reruns its $10k InstaGrants for women entrepreneurs
Mars-owned Dove Chocolate is continuing its commitment to supporting female entrepreneurs and small businesses in the US by launching its second year of DOVE InstaGrants.
Retail insights
Mars pulls Bounty bars from Christmas Celebrations after consumer backlash
Mars UK has taken the controversial decision to trial a ‘No Bounty’ tub of its popular Celebrations chocolate assortment offering, which are a staple in many homes over the festive period.
The ‘pioneering’ closed-loop collaboration behind Mars’ sustainable packaging innovation
Mars Inc has unveiled what it describes as a ‘key milestone’ in its commitment to transition towards a circular economy model where packaging material ‘never becomes waste’. FoodNavigator takes a closer look at the collaboration and technology behind...
Sustainability
Fairtrade, ECOOKIM and Mars launch new initiative to help cocoa farmers in Cote d’Ivoire
With support from the Conseil du Café Cacao (CCC) and Ivoirian Ministry of Agriculture, the the launch took place in in Abidjan. The Livelihoods Ecosystem Advancement Program (LEAP) was co-created by the ECOOKIM cooperative farmers, Mars and Fairtrade...
Technology
Accenture collaborates with Mars to develop ‘digital twins’ of production lines
Strategy and consulting firm Accenture is working with confectionery giant Mars to transform and modernise its global manufacturing operations with artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, edge technology and digital twins.
Sustainability
All Mars’ products in Europe to be sourced with 100% sustainable cocoa
Mars Wrigley has declared that from 2023, 100% of the cocoa purchased for its direct factory operations in Europe will be verified as ‘responsibly sourced cocoa’.
R&D
M&M’S introduces first new character in a decade
With the introduction in Australia of a new character and spokescandy, known as ‘Purple’, the M&M’S characters are receiving a brand new member of the crew.
Marketing
How do they make Starbursts so juicy?
In search of answers, the brand is enlisting the help of fans on TikTok to pose the question at the heart of its new ‘Ask the Universe’ campaign.
Supply chain
‘High level of demand’ causes shortage of Mars bars in UK stores
Mars Wrigley has confirmed a temporary shortage of Mars bars in UK supermarkets due to production issues.
Retail
Starburst lollies gone for good in Australia
Mars Wrigley has confirmed it has made the “difficult decision” to discontinue its Starburst brand from the Australian market.
Mars talks ‘mission critical’ coral reef restoration
Coral reefs are degrading at an alarming rate – threatening the health of our oceans and the ecosystems that support sea life. Confectionery-to-pet food manufacturer Mars is working to turn the tide. FoodNavigator catches up with the company’s chief...
Legal
Cocoa child slavery lawsuit against Hershey, Nestle, Cargill dismissed by US judge
The long-running US child slavery lawsuit involving cocoa supply chains operated by Hershey, Nestle, Cargill in Cote d’Ivoire has been dismissed by a federal judge in Washington DC.
R&D
Mars Wrigley begins construction on world-class innovation hub
Chicago is set to become Mars Wrigley’s largest research and development facility in the world after the snacks and treats maker announced it has broken ground on the site.