Confectionery behemoth Mars plunges into the world of online sharing, with the launch of an ad campaign for the Gummi Burst addition to its Starburst sweets line.
The world's number one confectionery group ups the stakes in the
gum war with the launch of Trident Sweet Kicks, a mint-flavoured
gum with a chocolate-flavoured liquid centre.
Cadbury is Britain's most trusted chocolate and confectionery
brand, according to a 2008 Reader's Digest survey, despite
Cadbury-Schweppes being fined £1m last year for allowing the sale
of salmonella-contaminated chocolates.
Research suggests that Americans prefer foods high in solid fats
and added sugars whilst Abbott Nutrition aims for the health
conscious with a new chocolate nutrition bar and Cadbury announces
board changes and predicts strong first...
A better understanding of how genes affect a person's sensitivity
to taste could enhance the development of foods that meet specific
consumer preferences and individual nutritional needs.
Leading global confectioners Mars and the Wrigley have announced
that they will merge, creating what Bill Wrigley called 'the
world's leading confectionery company'.
Kraft Foods announced on 24 April that it has signed agreements to
sell its Artiach biscuits business in Spain to Barcelona-based
bakery Panrico and its Balaton chocolate trademark in Hungary to
Nestle.
The global commodity market continues to worry confectionery and
sugar firms, as AB Foods profit is dented by sugar reforms, Nestle
combats costs with price hikes, and Cadbury may be ripe for
takeover.
US confectionery firm Cadbury Adams yesterday pledged to stop
advertising Bubblicious Gum to children under 12, the last product
in its portfolio to come under a nationwide initiative.
This week, demand for polyols is reported as experiencing
substantial growth on the back of health trend, Cargill provides
more convenient cocoa packaging, and Cadbury Schweppes moves nearer
to its beverage-arm demerger.
Senomyx has announced a two-year extension to its collaborative
research and license agreement with food and beverage giant Nestle,
focusing on developing new flavor ingredients for use in
dehydrated, culinary and frozen foods.
Cadbury Schweppes has pledged to remove all artificial colourings
from its confectionery products by the end of the year in response
to concerns over their possible effects on behaviour.
The Australian arm of Cadbury Schweppes, has lost another round in
its bid to protect the use of its characteristic colour purple,
used in wrapping for many of the company's confectionery products
and for advertising purposes.
In recent confectionery news, ADM reshuffles its management team,
Hershey launches a new premium line to try and boost its US market
share, and Sweet China reports a quarterly profit loss.
An industry sponsored, peer reviewed study has found consuming
chocolate containing plant sterols and cocoa flavanols can lower
cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
In financial news this week, cocoa prices go up yet again, Cadbury
reveals more de-merger plans, and Sweet China is allowed to return
to the London stock market.
Global confectionery firm Cadbury has created a new European
headquarters in Switzerland, as part of the company's attempts to
consolidate its operations within the bloc, local news reports have
stated.
Ferrero UK has been told to remove its recent TV advertisement for
Nutella, after a British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)
verdict that it contains misleading information about nutritional
content.
Repositioning on a healthy food platform and investing in research
of value-added ingredients has lifted Nestle out of the reach of
raw material prices and other economic encumbrances.
Mars UK claims it is the first confectionery company to launch an
online platform which will allow members of the networking site
Facebook to buy real chocolate bars such as Twix or Galaxy.
Global confectioners Mars and Nestle have joined a sustainable
cocoa programme, which aims to establish a traceability system for
all farmers in the Ivory Coast.
Global confectionery giant Cadbury has stepped up its
microbiological surveillance by adopting the Pathatrix pathogen
testing system, according to its creator.
Cadbury today launched a fund to aid its cocoa suppliers
in Ghana, after research suggested that average production in
the region is now 40 per cent lower than the potential yield.
A simple structured emulsion system could correct for flavour imbalances in reduced and low-fat products, scientists at Nestlé Research Center (NRC) have reported.
UK-based confectioner Tangerine agreed Friday to purchase some of
the country's most iconic confectionery brands including Barratt
Sherbet Fountains and Butterkist popcorn from market leader Cadbury
Schweppes.
Cadbury has this week confirmed it will continue with
plans to switch some UK production to Poland, sparking accusations
that the confectioner will be adding 12 million food miles to its
brands.
Strains of probiotic bacteria can affect metabolism, says a new
study from Nestle and Imperial College London that could help the
development of new probiotic products tailored for individuals.
Swiss-based Barry Callebaut hopes to profit from China, Cadbury
denies selling its Australian beverage arm, and Rocky Mountain
focuses on franchises after poor Q3 sales.
The Trian investment group, led by Nelson Peltz, yesterday called
for Cadbury to make a raft of improvements to its operations,
threatening to take matters out of management's hands if the
requests are not met.
Nut manufacturers no longer face Russian import duties; a new gum
product is marketed at overall mouth health; and Hershey appoints a
new executive board.
Swiss-based food giant Nestle today announced going into
partnership with Belgian company Pierre Marcolini, as the company
aims to move further into the premium and luxury chocolate market.
Hershey may remove mint packaging that looks like drug pouches;
Wrigley's credit rating is improved by analyst; and internet viewer
vote the Cadbury gorilla ad the best commercial of 2007.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) is calling for a boycott of all Mars confectionery products,
after the company admitted testing flavanols, a "healthy" chocolate
ingredient, on animals.
Cadbury today said it expects confectionery revenue growth to
exceed the 2007 four to six per cent target range, thanks
to revenues from the UK chocolate and the US gum markets.
The US hedge fund group Trian, run by active investor Nelson Peltz,
has increased its stake in Cadbury from 3.47 per cent to
approximately 4.5 per cent, the confectionery company announced
earlier today.
Hershey may be forced to withdraw mint pouches; A chocolate factory
fire kills a worker in Denmark; and yet another book promotes the
health benefits of dark chocolate.
Cadbury's de-merger of its US beverage business should increase
margins for the confectionery business by 4.6 percentage points,
despite an initial cost of £1bn, estimates Credit Suisse.
Nestlé, Bunge, Danisco, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and Tyson
Foods are the first food processors to join a programme to develop
global reporting standards on sustainability projects in the
sector.
Premier Foods is resisting confectionery tax on fruit bars, Cadbury
staff vote to reject closure plans, and a New York restaurant
charges $25,000 (€17,000m) for the most expensive chocolate dessert
in the world.
Cadbury Schweppes yesterday filed regulatory documents outlining
the demerger of its Americas beverage business into a new
company, revealing the company's strategy to maintain its position
as the world's largest confectionery...
Hershey said yesterday that third quarter margins fell a massive 13
percentage points from the same period in 2006, as a result of
tough competition in the premium chocolate market and rising milk
costs.