Chocolate and confectionery ingredients

AAK reports 'record' Q2 profits, acquires Frita brand from Unilever

18-Jul-2014 By Nathan Gray

A 40% increase in operating profits for its chocolate and confectionery fats business unit helped AAK to 'record high' results in Q2, while the firm continues its expansion with a deal to buy Turkish oil brand Frita.

Action on Sugar removes bread from high-sugar hit list: 'We acknowledge it was not accurate'

15-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Anti-sugar lobby group Action on Sugar has removed bread from its initial list of products containing ‘large amounts of sugar’.

AAK acquires Colombian bakery fats firm FANAGRA

10-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Swedish-Danish oils and fats giant AarhusKarlshamn (AAK) has acquired Colombian company Fabrica Nacional de Grasas (FANAGRA), which specializes in vegetable oils and fats for the bakery segment.

EU pledge: Amica Chips and ICA Foods to stop ads to kids

07-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Amica Chips and ICA Foods have pledged to stop advertising to under 12s and communication with primary schools unless asked as part of a voluntary EU scheme.

Petra delivers for Barry Callebaut in nine month results

03-Jul-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Barry Callebaut has registered sales growth in its nine month results driven by the recently acquired Petra Foods cocoa business.

Acrylamide may increase cancer risk, says EFSA opinion

01-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A draft EFSA opinion has “confirmed previous evaluations” that dietary intake of acrylamide may increase the risk of developing cancer for consumers. 

Almonds may reduce heart disease risk: Study

01-Jul-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Eating almonds may reduce the risk of heart disease by increasing levels of the antioxidant alpha-tocopherol in the blood stream, reducing blood pressure and improving blood flow, according to UK researchers.

The death of kingsize? UK confectioners agree 250 calorie cap

27-Jun-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Food and Drink Federation (FDF) members including Mondelēz International have signed up to a 250 calorie cap on single-serve confectionery sold in the UK.

Origins

Could West Africa lose its cocoa crown?

25-Jun-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

ConfectioneryNews asks industry leaders if cocoa production will gradually move closer to the burgeoning chocolate markets of China and Brazil or whether West Africa will always be the king of cocoa.

France considers ‘traffic light’ labelling as UK MEP hits back at EU threat of court case

24-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

France's health minister has put forward plans for the country’s own ‘traffic light’ nutrition labelling system; meanwhile a UK Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has defended the UK’s debated colour-coded system against the threat of a “spurious...

Kellogg, Nestlé, Mondelēz et al. promise to stop certain kids' ads by 2018

19-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Over 20 major food firms have signed up to health and wellness pledges on advertisement to children, consistent product information, open access to formulation policies and employee wellbeing as part of their commitment to Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) targets.

Sugar in teeth of fresh controversy

19-Jun-2014 By Rod Addy

Anti-sugar campaigners are targeting the damage it can do to teeth as well as tackling its contribution to obesity in the UK.

CME Group spills beans on new cocoa contract

16-Jun-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Futures exchange company CME Group has made a “strong commitment” in the cocoa market and plans a new contract to rival the IntercontinentalExchange Group (ICE).

Weighing up the responsibility: Should obesity be classed as a disability?

16-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

If the European Court redefines obesity as a disability, the rules of responsibility could shift horribly away from the parties involved - including the food industry.   

Fair Trade USA and UTZ Certified strike pilot cocoa certification partnership

11-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Fair Trade USA and UTZ Certified are piloting a collaborative cocoa certification scheme that they say will reduce costs for farmers looking to get dual certification.

Dispatches from the World Cocoa Conference 2014

‘We can afford to increase the price of chocolate,’ says ICCO executive director

11-Jun-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Manufacturers can increase the price of chocolate without fear of putting off consumers thus ensuring cocoa farmers are fairly paid, according to executive director of the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO).

Joining the cocoa dots: 12 confectionery titans join CocoaAction strategy

09-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A dozen of the world's biggest confectioners have signed up to the World Cocoa Foundation’s CocoaAction - something the organisation says will join the dots of existing sustainability programmes. 

Saturated fat intake may affect genetic obesity risk

06-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Reducing saturated fat intake may influence the expression of certain genetic ‘predispositions’ towards obesity, according to US research.

FAO: Food prices down as weather and Black Sea tensions improve

05-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Food prices were down for a second consecutive month in May following a ten-month high, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). 

Thinking big, getting small: Sizing up Mars product launches

04-Jun-2014 By Jenni Spinner

The candy giant is looking to take a bigger bite out of the confectionery market with bite-size bars, giant-size candies, and other fresh takes on existing brands.

Chewing gum is a 'cheap' way to help stay alert: Study

04-Jun-2014 By Sarah Hills

Chewing gum may make you more alert and could be useful in contexts such as driving, according to a new study.

Taking the biscuit: Consumers more sensitive to sugar reductions than fat

03-Jun-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Food manufacturers could reduce the fat content of biscuits by up to 50% without impacting overall product acceptability, according to new research.

UK Responsibility Deal: Sweet success or sleight of hand?

02-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The UK Department of Health hails its Responsibility Deal a success in its annual update, but reports emerge that companies have failed to meet sugar and salt targets.

Checkout bans could kick confectionery while it's down: Euromonitor

02-Jun-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The recent flurry of retail checkout confectionery bans, joined last month by retail giant Tesco, could hurt impulse-driven sales, but present high margin opportunities to supermarkets, according to Euromonitor analysts.

Wrigley launches its first stevia-sweetened product

28-May-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Wrigley has introduced Extra Professional Mints containing stevia rebaudiana across Europe, marking the first time it has used stevia in a product globally.

Cloetta strengthens in UK with Jelly Bean Factory buy

28-May-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Scandinavia confectioner Cloetta has acquired Irish firm Aran Candy, owner of the Jelly Bean Factory Brand, for an initial SEK 140m ($21.1m).

Russell Stover sale could see production move overseas: Analyst

26-May-2014 By Nicola Cottam

The US sugar squeeze could see chocolate-maker Russell Stover’s production move from its home market after a takeover, says a Datamonitor Consumer analyst.

2014 SWEETS AND SNACKS EXPO

Sweet innovation? Candy makers are sticking to what they know, says Euromonitor

26-May-2014 By Kacey Culliney

For the most part, confectioners have continued to innovate in known areas like flavor, product size and packaging rather than innovating for health, says Euromonitor International.

EFSA invites comments on draft allergy evaluation

23-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is inviting comments on a draft scientific opinion for the evaluation of allergenic foods and food ingredients for labelling purposes.

DSM and Isobionics team up on fermented orange and grapefruit ingredient

22-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

DSM Nutritional Products has entered in to an exclusive worldwide partnership with Dutch firm Isobionics for the distribution of its valencene and nootkatone ingredients.

Tesco banishes sweets from all checkouts

22-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Major UK supermarket Tesco has committed to removing sweets and chocolates from all of its checkouts by the end of the year.

Mycotoxin exposure could rise with dark chocolate consumption: Research

20-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Increasing consumption of chocolate with high levels of cocoa could “elevate exposure” to food contaminants aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, according to researchers, although they acknowledged it remains a "minor source".

New UTZ code: Child labor ‘prevention’, climate changes, living wages and gender equality

19-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Certifiers UTZ says a redraft of its code of conduct focuses on ‘prevention’ and monitoring of child labor on farms as well as including new measures around climate change.

Have you considered inulin in your chocolate?

19-May-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Leading Dutch supplier Sensus is pushing inulin as a sugar and sweetener replacer with minimal taste and texture tariffs.

Unhealthy diets now rank above tobacco global as cause of preventable diseases

Battling unhealthy food requires tobacco-style response

16-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The international community must develop a global convention similar to the legal framework for tobacco control to fight diet-related ill health, warn Consumers International and the World Obesity Federation.

Roshen owner: “This is confirmation of the fact that the policy I stick to is pro-Ukrainian."

Political undertones? Roshen loses appeal against Russian asset freeze

16-May-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Ukrainian confectionery firm Roshen has lost its appeal against the Russian court’s decision to seize assets of $80m. 

EU adopts new measures to limit cadmium in food

14-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

The European Commission has adopted new measures to reduce consumer’s maximum levels of exposure to cadmium in foods such as chocolate and infant formula.

Vitafoods Live! debates to take aim at key industry issues

02-May-2014 By Nathan Gray

From infant formula, to additives, protein, medical foods and omega-3 issues, our team of expert journalists will be taking aim at the most important and topical issues for the global food and nutrition industry at the Vitafoods Live! debate theatre next...

A question of semantics: From ‘traffic light’ to ‘colour coded’ labelling

28-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A move away from ‘traffic light’ to ‘colour coded’ nutrition labels leaves behind the danger of a “stop and go interpretation” of foods, according to the British Heart Foundation. 

UK confectionery market poised for sugar free transition, predicts Sulá

28-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Sugar free candies only account for 5% of the UK sweets market but the dynamic could be changing, according to German confectioner Sulá.

No future for chocolate if cocoa farmers are deep-rooted in poverty

24-Apr-2014 By Han De Groot, executive director at UTZ Certified,

Chocolate could become a small and expensive niche product unless we all do more to help cocoa farmers escape poverty, writes UTZ Certified executive director Han De Groot.

We have to do more to reduce waste as an industry, warns Leatherhead expert

23-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

Food manufacturers should leave no stone unturned as they search for ways to decrease waste and increase the value of manufacturing waste streams, says Steve Osborn of Leatherhead Food Research.

Can industry-backed academic inventions spur increased innovation?

23-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

Industry-sponsored academic research leads to innovative patents and licenses, and may not skew science towards inventions that are less accessible and less useful to others, according to a new analysis.

When it comes to NPD, is consumer 'liking' an overrated idea?

22-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

Testing the consumer liking of a new product may be an overrated idea that ‘breeds mediocrity’ and means products fail to differentiate themselves against the competition, according to David Howlett of MMR Research.

Abraaj Group plans Middle East & North Africa expansion for Kool Food

22-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Private equity firm Abraaj Group has acquired a stake in Moroccan chocolate company Kool Food and plans to expand distribution in the Middle East and Africa.

Cutting carbs, gluten or fat? The 'utter nonsense' behind claims to be the best diet

17-Apr-2014 By Nathan Gray

From the benefits of gluten-free to those of Mediterranean and Palaeolithic diets, many claims that one dietary strategy are better than another for health and weight loss are simply 'unjustified' and 'sometimes utter nonsense', according...

Chocolatiers back project for world’s first certified sustainable hazelnuts

17-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

UTZ Certified has begun a three-year initiative to develop a certified sustainable hazelnut supply in Turkey, which accounts for 70% of global production.

Chewing the fat: Calorie perception of hard and soft food differs

17-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

People perceive foods that are hard to have fewer calories than soft equivalents, according to new research published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

ADM to retain cocoa presses, but chocolate factories up for sale

16-Apr-2014 By Oliver Nieburg

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has announced that it will retain the majority of its cocoa processing operations but will sell its chocolate business.

MSC to launch first sustainable seaweed standard

15-Apr-2014 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is expanding its sustainability standard beyond wild-capture fish and invertebrate fisheries to include wild seaweed for the first time.