Confectionery

Mondelēz faces US enforcement action for $57m Indian tax bill

23-Feb-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has filed enforcement action against Cadbury maker Mondelēz International for allegedly dodging tax in India.

Event preview

Mars and Mondelēz to speak at Cocoa Revolution in Vietnam

22-Feb-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz International‘s cocoa sourcing manager for Asia and Mars’ Vietnam cocoa manager are among the speakers at the 2nd annual Cocoa Revolution conference.

'Eye-catching': Morinaga revamps Hi-Chew packs to advance US business

08-Feb-2016 By Douglas Yu

Morinaga America (MA) has redesigned packs for its entire Hi-Chew candy line as it looks to grow US company sales 400% in the next five years.

Sweet-toothed Aussie youngsters build platform for chocolate spreads

03-Feb-2016 By RJ Whitehead

While nowhere near as popular as salty spreads like Vegemite and peanut butter, or as widely consumed as honey or jam, chocolate and hazelnut spreads have gained a definite cult following among certain sections of the Australian population.

Mangosteen rind ups 'cheap chocolate' polyphenols by 50%: Research

21-Jan-2016 By Louisa Richards

Adding a mangosteen fruit by-product to cheaper low cocoa chocolates could improve their nutritional content without compromising flavour, researchers have discovered.

PureCircle refining stevia product to fit consumer tastes

15-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

Stevia is closing in on mainstream acceptance as a non-caloric sweetener, but the product will need additional innovation before it is fully accepted by consumers.

Nestlé bid to throw out cocoa child labor lawsuit in US Supreme Court rejected

12-Jan-2016 By Oliver Nieburg

A civil lawsuit accusing Nestlé, Cargill and ADM of aiding and abetting child slavery on Ivorian cocoa farms has again thwarted attempts to have the case thrown.

China's chocolate brands face image crisis amid international onslaught, says analyst

12-Jan-2016 By Douglas Yu

Chinese consumers are turning their backs on domestic chocolate brands they associate with questionable food safety in favor of a growing number of international brands, says China’s market research company, Daxue Consulting.

RSPO to publish members’ plantation maps in wake of Indonesia’s forest fires

22-Dec-2015 By Niamh Michail

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) will publish maps of all its members’ palm oil plantations – with the exception of Malaysia – in the hope closer monitoring will prevent forest fires and peat land destruction. But is this enough?

Veggie and kosher candy conundrum: Dispatches from FIE in Paris

Halal and kosher candy cracked? Roquette says it’s found answer for gelatine-free chewy candies

07-Dec-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Roquette has introduced a starch-based ingredient it claims can be used to make the first gelatine-free chewy candy with a long-lasting chewiness.

Tim Tams on sale across Australia despite Coles price row, insists Arnott's

03-Dec-2015 By Douglas Yu

Arnott’s has sought to reassure retail customers and consumers its popular Tim Tam biscuits are available across Australia despite its pricing spat with supermarket chain Coles.

Nestlé to introduce Gold KitKat in Japan for $16 a bar

26-Nov-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Nestlé has launched a one-finger KitKat made with edible gold leaves at its Chocolatory boutiques in Japan.

Palm oil producer launches peatland protection project in Indonesia

23-Nov-2015 By Michael HURLEY

A palm oil producer’s pledge to rehabilitate peatland in Indonesia will provide momentum for industry-wide change, it says.

Asian sweet maker opens manufacturing hub

20-Nov-2015 By Alice Foster

Asian sweet maker Mushtaq Sweet Centre has opened a “bespoke” manufacturing hub in Birmingham after securing funding from Barclays.

Stevia extraction is no barrier to scalability: PureCircle

10-Nov-2015 By Niamh Michail

Stevia extracted from the leaf can be scaled up to compete with other methods – and is more in line with consumer perceptions of stevia’s naturalness, say researchers and industry.

Asia's real chocolate shift slowed by rising costs, says Aalst

26-Oct-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Asian chocolate players are expected to opt for compound coatings over real chocolate in 2016 due to the rising costs of cocoa, says supplier Aalst.

Exclusive interview: Head of KitKat

KitKat white space opportunities in China, Vietnam and Pakistan, says Nestlé countlines chief

20-Oct-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Nestlé has expansion opportunities in developing markets in Asia and Latin America for its leading confectionery brand KitKat, according to the company’s head of chocolate countlines.

Industrial chocolate to enjoy Asia and Latin America lift, says Technavio

14-Oct-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

The global industrial chocolate market is expected to grow volumes 2.4% a year up to 2019 as Barry Callebaut, Cargill and others make headway in Latin America and Asia, says Technavio.

Mars opens center to address food safety risk portfolio

02-Oct-2015 By Joseph James Whitworth

Mars Incorporated has opened a pre-competitive research and training facility in China to address food safety.

Investigation

Anti-dumping: Will Tate & Lyle pull the trigger on Chinese sucralose?

22-Sep-2015 By Dominic Morgan, CCM

Concerns are mounting within China’s sweeteners industry over the risk of Chinese sucralose becoming a target for an anti-dumping investigation by the US or EU, according to industry sources.

Wrigley pushes to up permitted level of Ace K for gum in Australia and NZ

24-Aug-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Wrigley hopes to bring Australia and New Zealand's rules on levels of Acesulphame Potassium in gum in line with international standards.

Mondelēz escapes Indian competition watchdog wrath in distributor spat

17-Aug-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz did not breach competition rules following a complaint from a distributor it was placing unfair terms on rural stockists, rule Indian authorities.

Petra Foods profits slump as Indonesian consumers cutback on chocolate

17-Aug-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

SilverQueen and Delfi brand owner Petra Foods has reported a 40% net profit dip in Q2 2015 as sales fall in its main market Indonesia.

China to blame as Hershey reports Q2 loss of nearly $100m

10-Aug-2015 By Hal Conick

The Hershey Company reported a net loss of almost $100m for the second quarter of 2015 - a result "adversely impacted" by its performance in China.

Emerging origin

Bean-to-bar chocolate makers circle India for single origin opportunity

05-Aug-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

At least five premium chocolate makers are looking to build up India’s cocoa sector to produce single origin Indian chocolate.

‘Emerging middle class’ drive B-brand growth

31-Jul-2015 By Nathan Gray

The emergence of a new middle class in emerging markets can serve as a catalyst to B-brand growth, rather than benefiting established global brands, say researchers.

Emerging markets

‘India’s first aerated chocolate’: Mondelēz brings bubbly platform to fastest growing emerging market

24-Jul-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz International has launched what it claims is India’s first aerated chocolate by bringing Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Bubbly to the world’s fastest growing chocolate market.

Australia

Volunteers required for exercise test. Reward: 3D-printed chocolate

29-Jun-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Melbourne researcher Rohit Ashok Khot has found the sweetest way in the world to get people to exercise: he rewards others with chocolate treats made on a 3D food printer. The more they exercise, the smoother the chocolate they get to eat.

Hershey bets big on China’s e-commerce boom

25-Jun-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Hershey has earmarked China’s thriving e-commerce channel as a future growth driver despite setbacks in the country’s overall confectionery market.

Barry Callebaut to set up Indonesia compound plant to supply biscuit maker GarudaFood

16-Jun-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Barry Callebaut has announced it will establish a chocolate plant on the premises of Indonesian biscuit firm GarudaFood to supply it 10,000 metric tons of compound chocolate per year.

Mock choc study highlights peer review pitfalls

05-Jun-2015 By Shane STARLING

It’s no secret the peer review system that is supposed to subject academic research to rigorous scrutiny before publication is not perfect, but a [mock] German professor has revealed just how much of a joke it often is.

Special edition: Innovations in better-for-you confectionery

Brain boost and beauty gummies could enter mass-market, claims Hunziker

02-Jun-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Gummies fortified with collagen peptide or magnesium could be money-spinners outside niche drugstore channels, says Swiss functional confectionery producer Hunziker.

Trident gum coming to China as category picks up, says Mondelēz

04-May-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz plans to launch its Trident brand in China as its gum business returns to growth after a long slump.

Manner explores ‘wafer country’ Indonesia for Asia launchpad

04-May-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Austrian-based biscuit firm Josef Manner is considering marking its entry into Asia by entering Indonesia, where there is already an established wafer market.

Special edition: Beyond 2020 - The future of sustainable cocoa

‘We cannot let Indonesia fail’: Mars stresses Asia’s importance in meeting future cocoa demand

29-Apr-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Asia is poised to help meet rising demand for cocoa, but its key producer Indonesia faces quality concerns and its government lacks incentive to grow the sector.

Dispatches from Asia Choco Cocoa Congress in Singapore

State-owned plantations could rouse Vietnam’s cocoa industry

23-Apr-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Vietnamese state-owned companies plan to convert some coffee and rubber plantations to cocoa, delivering a significant boost to the country’s annual output, says Vietnam’s principle cocoa buyer Puratos Grand-Place.

To the dark side: Cocoa polyphenol craze prompts dark chocolate shift in Japan, says Meiji

22-Apr-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Japanese consumers are eating more dark chocolate at the expense of milk varieties as interest grows in cocoa polyphenols, says leading domestic chocolatier Meiji.

Event preview

Asia Choco Cocoa Congress 2015: Sourcing cocoa for Asia’s choc boom

20-Apr-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Multinationals chocolate companies and the public and private sector will come together this week to assess the future of cocoa sustainability in Asia and how to capitalize on rising chocolate demand in the reg

Chocolate heavyweights back Indonesian sustainable cocoa program

15-Apr-2015 By Rachel Arthur

Mondelēz, Mars, Nestlé and Barry Callebaut and Cargill are backing a three-year sustainable cocoa program in Indonesia, which aims to reduce poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.

April 8, 14:00 CET: Experts debate hot issues in NutraIngredients omega-3 forum

Omega-3 hits €25bn but can it keep growing?

03-Apr-2015 By Shane STARLING

Are omega-3 fisheries really under threat? How many functional foods have cracked omega-3 blockbuster status? How is the sector recovering from the ‘Brasky effect’? How are developing markets developing? How is the latest research influencing regulation?...

Emerging Markets: India

Premium Indian chocolate race heats up with Cadbury Glow and Kit Kat Senses

19-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mondelēz’s Cadbury Glow and Nestlé’s Kit Kat Senses have joined India’s rapidly growing premium chocolate market.

Mars plans $160m plant in ‘high priority’ Indian market

13-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Mars will construct its first confectionery factory in India, producing Snickers and Galaxy.

Ferrero plans first factory in ‘strategic’ Chinese market

11-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

Ferrero plans to manufacture in China to heap further pressure on chocolate market leader Mars.

Fastest flow wrap machine in the East? LoeschPack touts hot seal speed merchant for Asia

10-Mar-2015 By Oliver Nieburg

LoeschPack has introduced a horizontal flow wrap machine with hot seal capabilities that it claims will help confectioners protect product integrity in hot climates and pack at greater speeds than competitors.

Snacking power house talks about ‘regional jewels’ at Packaging Innovations 2015

Developing markets account for 44% at Mondelēz International with plans to expand into more ‘white space’

25-Feb-2015 By Jenny Eagle

Mondelēz kicked off the Packaging Innovations tradeshow at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, today talking about its developing markets and ‘regional jewels’.