Four power brands, three priority markets and two innovation platforms will drive growth for Mondelez’s chocolate segment, according to the firm’s category head.
Consumers who prefer milk chocolate have a significantly lower threshold for bitter tastes, according to a new study that suggests manufacturers could benefit from testing consumer rejection thresholds as part of their R&D process.
Consumers are likelier to have lower expectations of ‘reduced-fat’ labelled chocolate creating a cause for concern for chocolate makers, according to a study.
Cocoa compounds found in dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure in the short term and could help guard against cardiovascular disease, according to a recently released study.
Singapore-based Petra Foods’ cocoa ingredients business had nosedived in its second quarter (Q2) results due to weakening chocolate demand in developed markets.
Spanish ingredients producer Natra has unveiled a new granulated chocolate product that it says will form a ‘new generation’ of powdered chocolate for the industry.
Chocolate can improve brain functioning and mood, according to scientific review assessing over 100 previous studies linking chocolate to health benefits.
ConfectioneryNews.com explores how the leading players are gearing up for a PR brand building exercise that comes around only once every four years and asks how high-fat, high-sugar chocolate can be reconciled with the health charged London Olympics.
Secret wartime papers have been uncovered that detail a Nazi plot to plant exploding chocolate in the British War Cabinet dining room in a bid to kill former Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, according to reports.
Swiss chocolate processor Barry Callebaut has won an article 13.5 health claim from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for a dossier linking cocoa flavanols and blood circulation.
Manufacturers can up the antioxidant content in chocolate with a freeze dried raspberry leaf extract with minimal impact on texture and mouth-feel, according to a study.
Chocolate manufacturers will risk a poorer quality final product unless they trace what happens to cocoa beans before they reach their factories, say researchers.
Cadbury owner Kraft Foods has filed an international patent for a process to make low-calorie chocolate that it claims can maintain texture and quality while extending shelf-life.
Global decline in cocoa butter quality, coupled with growing demand for high quality cocoa butter mean that more robust but flexible refining technologies are required, say researchers.
Mars has opened a €80m (RUB 3.3bn) chocolate factory in Russia’s Ulyanovsk region as it looks to capture a greater share of the highest value BRIC chocolate market.
The Blommer Chocolate Company has established the joint venture firm GrowCocoa with ingredients supplier Olam International to allow the companies to move into Latin America and new cocoa origins in Africa.
Biotec firm Lycotec has developed an ingredient for chocolate and other fat-based foods that it claims can help consumers to manage their weight and reduce blood cholesterol.
Biotech firm Lycotec has developed an ingredient that it claims can harness the health potential in both dark and milk chocolate and lead to products with anti-ageing, injury recovery and increased physical performance properties.
UK chocolate brands have indulged in a British-homage in the run up to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee on June 2 and consumer spending will be up, driving the usual post-Easter sales dip, an industry analyst said.
Demand for more ‘personalised’ chocolate aimed at individuals is a major trend confectionery manufacturers should tap into in the near future, according to Datamonitor.
Lindt’s chocolate rabbit is devoid of any distinctive character, according to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which has ruled that the firm’s 3D-bunny-sign cannot be registered as a trademark in the EU.
Dark chocolate and cocoa ingredients do not improve motor function for those with Parkinson’s disease despite increased consumption among those with the disease, according to a study.
Confectioners face big rewards by tapping into market potential in Mexico, but will face “oblivion” if they fail to address growing health concerns, according to an analyst.
Kraft Foods is off to a solid start to 2012 in its first quarter (Q1) results driven by sales growth in global biscuits and chocolate and strong performance in emerging markets.
Chocolate manufacturers will face a serious cocoa supply shortage unless they work to improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and allow them to invest in sustainable production, according to an academic.
Hershey, Nestle, Mars and Cadbury have been hit with a new antitrust lawsuit that alleges the companies conspired together to fix chocolate prices in the US between 2002 and 2008.
The Tsudis chocolate company has been cited for 16 workplace safety violations by the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) after a worker’s head got stuck in a machine.
A combination of sensory and analytical flavour analysis that is hardly commercially available can optimise the taste of chocolate, according to a flavour consultant.
People who consume chocolate frequently may have lower body mass index (BMI) values, suggests ‘intriguing’ data from the University of California, San Diego.
Israel’s antitrust authority has received a complaint alleging that the country’s number two food manufacturer The Strauss Group is exploiting its monopoly on the domestic chocolate market by overcharging consumers.
UK retailer Morrisons has initiated a recall of its own-brand Whole Nut Milk Chocolate over fears that it may be contaminated with small pieces of metal.
Packaging firm MeadWestvaco (MWV) has gained sensory analysis approval for its Crescendo paperboard meaning it can now be used to package chocolate and confectionery products.
