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 | | ALL CANDY EXPO(R) FORECASTS UPCOMING CONFECTIONERY AND SNACK TRENDS | | | National Confectioners Association | | 17/09/2007 | | | National Confectioners Association Reveals 2007 Industry Growth and 2006 Market Performance
At the annual ALL CANDY EXPO(R), confectionery and snack-food industry leaders, distributors and retailers reveal the new trends that will drive sales for 2007 and 2008. The largest confectionery show in North America now adds savory snacks for the first time in the 11-year history of the EXPO. Sponsored by the National Confectioners Association, the ALL CANDY EXPO(R) will boast 2,000 new products from nearly 500 exhibitors from 75 different countries.
Trends Drive New Product Releases
Top trends driving product releases of 2007/08 include flavor fusions, international influences, artisan palate, sweet benefits, simply sugar-free, originally organic, reinventing classics, the dark side and child's play:
-- Flavor Fusions -- Manufacturers are creating novel flavor combinations of confections and snacks to tempt the adventurous American palate. Chewing gum is going fresh and fruity with flavors like Cadbury Adam's Trident Splash(R) Summer Spearmint and Eclipse(R) Fusion Peppermint Berry. Sweet is also melding with spicy in exciting new flavor pairings like Lindt Creations Cherry Chili Dark Chocolate 70% bar and the new Spicy Maya bar (Chuao Chocolatiers) that packs a punch, pairing premium dark chocolate with a hint of Pasilla chile, cayenne pepper and cinnamon to excite taste buds. Snacks are also getting a savory surge with new flavor combinations like Boulder Canyon(TM) Spinach and Artichoke Potato Chips and Rice Works Sweet Chili Crisps. -- International Influences -- Take a trip from traditional tasting sweets and snacks with new exotic, internationally inspired flavors. Get a taste of the islands with Tortuga(R) Caribbean Rum Cake or Sweet Maui Onion chips from Poore Brothers(R). And explore the world of single-origin chocolate with the latest additions in Russell Stover's(R) Private Reserve Origin Select(TM) and Dove(R) Origins line of gourmet chocolates composed of fine cocoa beans grown in different equatorial locales like Venezuela, Tanzania and Ghana. -- Artisan Palate -- Specialty sweets and sophisticated snacks are evolving to meet consumers' more refined palates. Savor gourmet every day with three new specialty flavors of Rena's Gourmet Truffle Pop Collection (key lime, dark brut chocolate and coconut) or give fruits a gourmet touch with Splendid Chocolate Fondue Au Chocolat. Unwrap a sweet escape with Nestle Treasures(R) bite-size truffles with gourmet caramel, cappuccino or dark chocolate filling cloaked in silky-smooth milk chocolate. New boxed artisan confections include Russell Stover's(R) Soho(TM) Collection and Whitman's(R) Urban Collection and feature gourmet flavors like pear praline and sea salt caramel as well as bite-size gourmet chocolates painted with elegant designs. -- Sweet Benefits -- From calorie conscious confections to the healthful and fortified, manufacturers are meeting health conscious consumers' demands with benefits packed into popular sweets and snacks. Among the many new nutritive treats are Welch's(R) Fruit 'N Yogurt Snacks, which are loaded with real fruit and contain live and active cultures just like fresh yogurt, Hershey(R)'s 100 Calorie Pretzel Bar and Planters(R) NUT-triton Heart-Healthy Mix. And in the gourmet chocolate market, new products now highlight heart healthy, antioxidant rich cacao percentages. Indulge in all ends of the spectrum, from Scharffen Berger(R) Milk Nibby with 41 percent cacao to Guylian Twist 70% Extra Dark. -- Simply Sugar-free -- New confections are going sugar-free while staying flavor-full. Share the sweetness on Valentine's Day with PEEPS(R) sugar-free hearts or indulge in Baskin-Robins cookies n' cream flavored sugar-free hard candies. Tempt your taste buds with sugarless Life Savers(R) Fruit Tarts(TM) with a mouth-watering blend of fruit and sour sensations. And new flavors and unique packaging of sugar-free gum and mints are also keeping the breath market fresh. New sugarless products include Aura(TM) Clip'n'Go(TM) mints and gum, Cadbury Adam's Stride(TM) new Forever Fruit flavored gum and Wrigley's 5(TM) gum available in Rain(TM) (a tingling spearmint), Cobalt(TM) (a cooling peppermint) and Flare(TM) (a warming cinnamon). -- Originally Organic -- For the savvy snack and candy consumer, new products are harnessing the all natural goodness of pure ingredients and increasingly earning the USDA organic seal of approval. Going green never tasted so good with the variety of new organic products like Montana Monster Munchies all-natural cookies, Jelly Belly(R) natural jelly beans, Green & Black's organic fine chocolate bars and RJ's all natural black, raspberry and orange licorice. -- Reinventing Classics -- The familiar face of some of consumers' favorites are getting a make over. Proving that the classics never go out of style, the new 3 Musketeers(R) Mint Bar, REESE's(R) Whipps(TM) bar, Nestle(R) Crunch(R) Crisp Bar and Oreo(R) Cakesters are just some of the brand extensions debuting at the EXPO. -- The Dark Side -- Chocolate confections continue to dip into the growing demand for dark chocolate. Decadent and delicious, consumers have more options with new dark chocolate indulgences including M&M(R) Dark Chocolate Peanut, Ferrero's Rondnoir with "black pearl" center and dark chocolate crème filling, Ghirardelli Evening Dream dark chocolate bars and Dark Chocolate Cranberries from Terri Lynn. -- Child's Play -- New interactive candies encourage kids of all ages to play with their food! Strike a tune on new Airheads Whistle Pops(R) or get crafty with crEATables(R) fun gummi laces. Chomp into new Lunch Meat Bubble Gum(TM) or paint your tongue blue with Cadbury Adam's Bubblicious(R) Ink'd(TM) bubble gum. Play doctor with new Belly Bugs(TM), which include plastic tweezers to pull pesky gummi bugs right from the candy patient's tummy -- and eat them! Industry Reports on 2006 Product Announcements and Sales -- In 2006, thousands of new confectionery and snack products debuted tempting taste buds of consumers everywhere. -- 2,910 new confectionery products debuted:* -- Chocolate: 1,478 -- Non-chocolate: 1,272 -- Gum: 160 -- 2,711 new snack, cookie and cracker products debuted:* -- Cookies: 806 -- Crackers: 164 -- Chips: 391 -- Popcorn: 132 -- Nuts and seeds: 218 -- Snack bars: 326 -- Other snacks (pretzels, puffed snacks, fruit snacks, meat snacks, etc.): 674 *(Datamonitor's Productscan online database of new products 2006) Mints, Sugar-free Gum, and Chocolate Top the Charts in 2006* -- The confectionery industry ended 2006 1.6 percent ahead of 2005. -- Candy and gum ranked third among food categories in 2006. -- In 2006, gum continued to dominate the industry with 4.2 percent sales growth overall and 11.4 percent sales growth in sugar-free gum specifically. -- Mints had a refreshing boost in sales during 2006 with a 21.6 percent increase. -- Chocolate continues to be a big seller on shelves, with boxes, bags and bars as favorites with an 8.9 percent growth spurt. -- Chewy non-chocolates like gummi candy and fruit chews showed impressive gains in 2006 with a 3.3 percent increase. *(Information Resources Inc., sales in food, drug and mass outlets) Candy Sales Hot Around Holidays
Confectionery sales continue to cluster around major holidays, with Halloween leading sales in 2006 and Easter a close second. Halloween secured its lead with a 2.8 percent growth overall, while Easter stood out in 2006 posting a 7 percent sales increase thanks to a late April celebration. Also making gains, the winter holiday season and Valentine's Day both posted a 1 percent increase in 2006 and ranked third and fourth in overall holiday sales respectively.
About the National Confectioners Association (NCA)
Founded in 1884 in Chicago by representatives of 69 confectionery manufacturing firms, the National Confectioners Association is one of the oldest, most respected trade associations in the world. Today NCA has more than 600 members and is the major association representing the entire confectionery industry, offering education and leadership in manufacturing, technical research, public relations, retailing practices, government relations and statistical analyses. NCA fosters industry growth by advancing and promoting the interests of the confectionery industry, its customers and its consumers.
SOURCE National Confectioners Association | |
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