Confectionery

Seeds sown for sunflower lecithin in chocolate after Japan approval

30-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Cargill says that chocolate manufacturers can now make the switch from soy lecithin to the “more sustainable” sunflower lecithin after Japan became the last country to approve the emulsifier.

Japan finally gives green light to sales of sunflower lecithin

30-Apr-2014

Cargill has obtained approval for the use of sunflower lecithin in Japan, which until now had been the only country in the world where the additive had not previously been approved for food applications.

Key Insights from Food Vision

Insect economics: Insect production could utilise global food waste to produce nutritionally better protein

28-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

The huge amounts of food and agricultural produce that end up as waste could be used to feed insects and produce high-quality animal protein that is better for environment, according to Professor Arnold van Huis.

Cadbury India becomes Mondelēz India Foods Limited

24-Apr-2014

Mondelēz International subsidiary Cadbury India has changed its name to Mondelez India Foods Limited.

Exclusive interview: Pat Crowley, director and founder of Chapul

Chapul cricket bars founder: ‘Our marketing approach has been absolute, utter optimism’

23-Apr-2014 By Maggie Hennessy

As one of the forerunners of the commercialization of edible insects in the US, Chapul, makes its first big push into the national market with its cricket protein bars, founder Pat Crowley caught up with FoodNavigator-USA on the enviable efficiency of...

Halloren targets Thailand and Korea for export growth

14-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

German confectioner Halloren believes its best growth prospects lie in the fast growing markets in Thailand and Korea as well as North America amid intense competition in its home market.

Mars to source cocoa from India

10-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Mars follows in Cadbury footsteps as it looks to source cocoa from India, a crop that still only accounts for a tiny fraction of world production.

Cadbury ‘premiumizes’ Bournville for increasingly affluent Indian consumers

28-Mar-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz International has upped the cocoa content and revamped the packaging of its Cadbury Bournville brand in India to appeal to the growing middle classes.

Almost 1m Aussies eat mints they never bought

18-Mar-2014 By RJ Whitehead

It’s the great unspoken black hole in the Australian economy. Almost a million Australians a month flippantly committing the pettiest of larcenies: eating mints they don’t buy.

Innovation watch: Japanese KitKat you can bake

14-Mar-2014

Nestlé has developed a new mini KitKat that can be eaten as a chocolate bar or bake in the oven for two minutes to become like a crispy cookie.

Perfetti Van Melle signs Chupa Chups licensing deal in Greater China

13-Mar-2014

Dutch-Italian confectioner Perfetti Van Melle has signed a licensing deal with brand extension agency Beanstalk to growth the strength of its Chupa Chups lollipop brand in Greater China.

The FoodNavigator Forum

How does sugar affect health? Find out at FoodNavigator’s Sugar Debate: Separating Fact from Fiction

12-Mar-2014 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Sugar – at least in excess – has been blamed for everything from heart disease to obesity and cancers in recent months. But is it as bad as all that?

Oxfam's sustainability scorecard: Spurring a race to the top for the food industry

03-Mar-2014 By Winnie Byanyima, executive director, Oxfam International

Food and drink companies can have a big influence over sustainability and ethical issues in their supply chains - and have the power to change them rapidly. One year on from Oxfam's first Behind the Brands sustainability scorecard, nine of the ten...

Lotte eyes Choco Pie growth in India with third plant

19-Feb-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Korean confectioner Lotte plans to accelerate its Choco Pie brand in India with a third factory.

Oz economy outpaces confectionery growth

10-Feb-2014 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

The Australian confectionery market is growing slower than the country’s economy, according to a report from Market Line.

India criticised as government nears approval of sugar subsidy rise

10-Feb-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Strong suggestions that India is about to announce an increase in sugar export subsidies have brought a wave of criticism from competing countries, who say that what India is doing is wrong and “distorts" the sugar trade.

Kit Kat tops Oz ad ratings, while Skittles loses its Midas touch

03-Feb-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Eating chocolate is a one-way road to happiness, if you subscribe to the approach used by confectionery companies in Australia to market their products.

Hershey to acquire iconic Chinese confectionery firm

19-Dec-2013 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Hershey Netherlands B.V. has signed an agreement to acquire an 80% stake in Chinese confectionery and snack firm Shanghai Golden Monkey Food Company (SGM) - and the remaining 20% in 2015.

Social climbers: Aussies plump for premium chocolate

17-Dec-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Lindt, Ferrero and artisanal chocolatiers could be set to profit from thriving demand for premium chocolate in Australia, market analysts Leatherhead Food Research say.

Hershey launches Jolly Rancher in India

05-Dec-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey has chosen India as the first country outside of North America to launch the Jolly Rancher brand.

Mars launches Galaxy at 'accessible' price in India

18-Nov-2013

Mars has launched premium tablet chocolate brand Galaxy (also known as Dove) in India at a reduced price point.

Barry Callebaut completes $19m Japan factory move

15-Nov-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Barry Callebaut has finalised the move of its Japan’s chocolate factory from Amagasaki to Takasaki in an investment worth $19.4m.

‘The cocoa shell is a magnificent piece of material that hasn’t been exploited’ – Daintree Estates

15-Nov-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Waste shells from cocoa processing are rich in fibre and antioxidants and carry great potential as food ingredients, according to Australian plantation-to-bar manufacturer Daintree Estates.

Industry Voices - Cocoa in the developed world

‘We want to put Australia on the map for origin chocolate’ – Daintree Estates

08-Nov-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The company behind Australia’s first single origin chocolate says the country’s cocoa is rich in polyphenols and is set for a big future. Its executive chairman, Cadbury veteran Barry Kitchen talks to ConfectioneryNews.

Big trouble in little China as Mondelez misses expectations

07-Nov-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelez International has fallen short of sales expectations in the third quarter (Q3) as the slowing Chinese economy dented consumption, particularly in its biscuit category.

Quality key to upping Chinese chocolate consumption, says analyst

25-Oct-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Premium international brands for China’s increasingly affluent population could be instrumental in raising low domestic chocolate consumption, according to market researchers Canadean.

North America cocoa grind hits record high as Asia figures up 12%

18-Oct-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

North America’s third quarter cocoa grind is the highest of any quarter since the National Confectioners Association began to collaborate data for the US, Mexico and Canada in 2009. The Asian Q3 cocoa grind has also jumped 12%.

Hershey adapts China brand Lancaster to US tastes

11-Oct-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Hershey has launched Lancaster Soft Caramel Cremes in the US, six months after the company initially introduced the product in China. 

RAN: Kellogg cannot deflect palm oil heat onto supplier

08-Oct-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Kellogg cannot shirk its palm oil responsibility by deflecting attention to its supplier, says RAN following a statement from Kellogg calling for productive talks between its supplier Wilmar and the environmental group.

Hershey marks biggest outlay in Asia with $250m Malaysia plant

04-Oct-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The Hershey Company will make its single largest investment in Asia with a new factory in Malaysia, a country the firm says gives it a strong route to 25 markets in the region, including China.

Cargill cultivates carrageenan supply chain

01-Oct-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Cargill says it is diversifying its carrageenans portfolio in both location and species to combat the associated supply risks of the texturing ingredient derived from seaweed.

Mondelēz extends sustainable cocoa pledge to Indonesia

01-Oct-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Mondelēz International is expanding its sustainable cocoa farming initiative, pledging to include Indonesia in its ten year, $400m commitment.

Mondelēz takes trademark appeal to High Court

30-Sep-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

Mondelēz International has appealed against the New Zealand trademark authority’s decision to OK rival Whittaker’s registration of its Berry Forest chocolate bar, despite protestations that it is too similar to Mondelēz's own Black Forest brand.

Indonesian trade minister urges cocoa import policy review

19-Sep-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

The Indonesian deputy trade minister has said that after successfully increasing domestic cocoa grinding capacity the country should lower cocoa bean import duties to prevent shortages in the future.

Nestlé Kit Kat tie-up wires into Chinese Android appetite

06-Sep-2013 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn

This week’s launch of the new Google Android 4.4 Kit Kat and Nestlé’s tie-in chocolate Android robots is a marketing move worth millions and could help the Kit Kat name grow in emerging markets like China, says Euromonitor International.

Challenges remain as China's Bright mulls deal with Israel’s Tnuva

06-Sep-2013 By William Hao Wei Yang

Chinese food giant Bright Food Group is poised to begin negotiations for a deal to buy Tnuva Food Industries, Israel’s largest food company. 

Greenpeace and RSPO clash over forest fires

05-Sep-2013 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

Food companies that only use certified sustainable palm oil have been accused of “certifying destruction”, according to a Greenpeace report released to coincide with the first European Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) summit in Berlin this week.

Barry Callebaut opens JV plant in Indonesia

03-Sep-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Barry Callebaut has today opened a $33m cocoa processing facility in Indonesia in a joint venture with cocoa trader P.T. Comextra Majora.

Cadbury cocoa-growing trials in Australia as part of $59m plant upgrade

29-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Cadbury will invest in trials to commercially cultivate cocoa in Australia for the first time as it sets out plans to upgrade its production facility in Tasmania.

Natra reports weak Europe and out-of-season Asian chocolate consumption

28-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Natra Cocoa and Chocolate has reported flat sales in its first half results due to weak consumer spending in Europe and a blip in chocolate consumption in its growth driver Asia.

Mondelez announces leadership changes in EEMEA and Asia

27-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelez International has announced new heads for its EEMEA region and Asia Pacific region after  Pradeep Pant announced his retirement, aged 59.

Cadbury India bets large on Asia-Pacific’s biggest chocolate plant

08-Aug-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Cadbury’s Indian arm has revealed plans to build the biggest chocolate plant in the Asia-Pacific region. The Indian plant, in Andhra Pradesh, will come at an investment of more than Rs1,000cr (US$163m).

Mystery Indian firm to supply chewing gum cooling agent WS-23

06-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

An unnamed Indian company will soon rival a string of Chinese firms by supplying WS-23, a cooling agent that minimizes the bitterness of menthol in gum, according to the firm’s global distributors.

Synthetic spearmint supplier scales up production to offer purer alternative

01-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Paramount Aromachem India will move to a new facility near Delhi where it plans to produce half of the global demand for synthetic spearmint flavor L-carvone which is used in chewing gum.

Chicle gum distributor urges Australians to stop chewing on plastic

01-Aug-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The distributor of Chicza, an organic biodegradable chewing gum made from tree sap, is hoping to capitalize on the growing popularity of organic and sustainable products in Australia and is urging consumers to stop chewing gum made from synthetic polymers.

Cargill registers concern with palm oil supplier about child labour allegations

01-Aug-2013 By Caroline SCOTT-THOMAS

The Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has accused Cargill of using child labour in its palm oil supply chain – and Cargill says it has registered its concern with supplier KLK.

Cadbury India top brass shakeup unconnected to tax probe, says Mondelez

26-Jul-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

Cadbury India has made wholesale changes to its senior management in a move parent company Mondelez International says is not linked to ongoing tax evasion investigations.

Australia’s oldest chocolate bar, Cherry Ripe, remains the favourite

26-Jul-2013

With Australian tastes in confectionery moving quickly over recent years, chocolate manufacturers are being advised to keep a close eye on changes.

Asian cocoa grind defies slowing Chinese economy

18-Jul-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

The Asian cocoa grind has registered a shock 2% increase in Q2 in the face of economic slowdown in China, the region’s growth driver.

Haribo enters Burma and strengthens Singaporean presence

17-Jul-2013 By Oliver Nieburg

German candy maker Haribo has entered the Burmese market and expanded its distribution in Singapore through a deal with expansion services provider DKSH.