Top 3 new food & beverage trends for 2026
Discover the top trends set to shape consumer choices and product development
Confectionery
Ferrero’s WK Kellogg takeover has everyone talking
With Ferrero’s $3.1 billion deal for WK Kellogg done and dusted, the cereal aisle is buzzing again and competitors are scrambling to figure out what this means for the rest of Big Food
Why the GLP-1 boom won’t kill sugar reduction
Junk food cravings may ease with GLP-1 use, but people still want sweet foods
Final countdown: Ferrero-Kellogg merger one step closer to completion
Following a landslide shareholder vote, the merger deal is expected to close within days
Unilever, Mars, Ferrero & Kraft Heinz: A story of spin-offs, splits, mergers & acquisitions
From Kraft Heinz’s split to Mars and Kellanova’s mega-merger, the world’s biggest food brands are reshaping the industry
Mondelēz bets on collaborations as M&A costs climb
From Oreo x Reese’s to Biscoff tie-ups, partnerships are delivering the consumer buzz and sales lift that price cuts and big-ticket acquisitions no longer guarantee
Inside the $1.1bn pumpkin spice economy: Fall’s flavor forecast for 2025
Pumpkin spice still anchors autumn, but fatigue is setting in. With cinnamon, caramel and citrus surging, makers must balance nostalgia with novelty to win fall 2025
Hershey warns tariffs and higher cocoa costs will take a toll in back half of 2025
The sweets and snacks giant trimmed its outlook for the full year despite surging second quarter sales as it braces for the full impact of potential tariffs and higher cocoa costs
Opinion
First Mars, now Ferrero: Why confectioners are betting big on snacks
It’s not a one-off. Confectionery giants want in on snacks, and here’s why
What every food and drink brand must know about AI and innovation
AI can speed up your pipeline – but it won’t tell you why everyone still picks chocolate. Here’s how to innovate without losing your edge
Perfetti eyes growth in global travel retail refreshment confectionery
Perfetti van Melle is pursuing a larger slice of the global travel retail refreshment confectionery market, with a focus on flavour innovation and impulse purchases
Sweets & Snacks Expo
Inside Mondelēz’s data-driven approach to omnichannel agility
Director of Omnichannel Growth Jillian Durojaiye shares how the CPG giant activates around consumer preferences across digital and physical retail touchpoints
From candy giant to snacking powerhouse: the new Mars playbook
With an ambitious growth target for the next five years, vice president of new innovation territories at Mars, Greg Hocking, explains how it’ll achieve it through fun formats, functionality and fostering sustainable start-ups
Have cocoa prices hit chocolate?
The price of cocoa may be high, but has this hit consumers?
Truce reached after Mondelēz haunts GHOST with lawsuit
The snack giant accused the flavor collab kings of breach of contract. Now the two companies have come to an agreement, with GHOST eyeing “exciting new flavors”— sans Mondelēz.
Eat chocolate, lower risk? New research fuels healthier indulgence
Can chocolate really improve blood pressure and reduce heart disease risk? Emerging research suggests it might – and the findings are sweet news
Latin America and Asia emerge as bright spots for cocoa supply in 2025
As the global cocoa industry faces yet another challenging year, confectionery brands are turning their attention to new sourcing regions to secure future supply
Big-name brands drop their chocolate volume predictions
Barry Callebaut, Mondelēz International and Hershey International rethink production strategies to manage the cocoa crisis
Bon Bon Bum kicks off US expansion with bold football partnership and playful flavour campaign
Colombian lollipop brand Bon Bon Bum enters the US market with its first nationwide campaign, tapping Gen Z taste trends
Price and NPD drive Mondelēz revenues up but volume and profit slide
Mondelēz International has beaten expectations in its Q1 report, but volumes and profits are down
Nestlé and OFI enter into global partnership
The giants of food and beverage are working together to make cocoa more sustainable
Dubai chocolate craze causes global pistachio shortage and scams
Pistachio prices have risen as demand for trendy Dubai chocolate spikes, sending supplies of the nut down
Scientists closer to understanding ‘dessert stomach’ phenomenon
Researchers discover why feeling full can lead to sweet cravings. And the answer lies in a surprising place
WCF 2025: Cocoa leaders call for urgent collaboration amid global crisis
Sector leaders didn’t mince words at the conference in Brazil, calling for urgent, united action to tackle the cocoa’s escalating crisis
UPFs condemned by health body in further blow to sector
A leading European health body has dealt another blow to UPF manufacturers, maintaining their link to adverse health outcomes
Beyond the big five: How everyday celebrations are fuelling seasonal confectionery sales
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and World Chocolate Day all provide confectioners with marketing opportunities
Natural Products Expo West
Mondelez SnackFutures’ investments reveal playbook to tackle snack industry’s biggest challenges
Snacking may be here to stay, but what consumers want - and how companies source it - are evolving quickly, prompting Mondelez to narrow the aperture of its investment strategy
How Mondelēz International is using AI to maximise product innovation
From production and supply chain optimisation, to marketing and consumer engagement, AI transforming the confectionery sector. Here’s how
Utilising the entire cocoa pod takes off
Although maximising cocoa potential by minimising waste has pre-cocoa crisis roots, escalating costs opens up the opportunity for captive chocolate companies to follow suit
Resilience, sustainability, collaboration: The WCF’s recipe for solving the cocoa crisis
As the World Cocoa Foundation prepares to gather the globe’s cocoa leaders in Brazil, President Chris Vincent shares the organisation’s priorities
Sweets & Snacks Expo 2024
Chocolate brands cash in on America’s largest candy and snack trade show
The 2024 Sweets & Snacks Expo became a launch pad for companies looking to crack the US confectionery market with new products from Colombia’s Vivamor, Canada’s Lovo Chocolate, along with reboots of classic brand Godiva and a new partnership deal for...
Sustainability
Luker Chocolate on course to impact 1,500 farmers by 2027
Luker Chocolate, the premium Colombian Business-for-Business (B4B) chocolate manufacturer, has revealed significant progress towards Its 2027 sustainability targets, including increasing income for farmers, social wellbeing, and deforestation-free cocoa.
Sweets & Snacks Expo 2024
Mars Wrigley, Chocolate Cordillera, and Godiva all set to make their mark at the Sweets & Snacks Expo
We take a look at some of the upcoming highlights from this year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo.
CN Webinar
Free webinar: Is there a crisis in cocoa supply chains?
With the new European Union Deforestation Regulation on the horizon, should the industry adopt a more responsible approach to procurement when sourcing cocoa beans and other ingredients? Sign up for our free webinar to discuss!
Company news
Grupo Nutresa reports 11% revenue growth, pledges $1.5bn to cocoa sustainability
Latin American food conglomerate Grupo Nutresa has launched a new sustainability programme to continue strengthening Colombia’s cocoa chain after posting revenues of $18.9 billion in 2023, representing a growth of 11% compared to the previous year.
Special report: Dominican Republic organic cocoa
YACAO’s organic cocoa becomes first in LATAM to be ROC-certified
Swiss subsidiary with a long history of sourcing its premium organic cocoa from Dominican Republic sees demand skyrocket as suppliers look to other regions for sustainable beans.
Commodities
Eye-watering cocoa prices put a damper on Valentine’s Day chocolate
Love may be in the air this Valentine's Day – but so is the eye-watering price of cocoa on the market, making the cost of the key ingredient in chocolate more expensive than ever, according to analysts.
Amsterdam Cocoa Week
2023 Cacao of Excellence Awards winners celebrate the beauty of the bean during Amsterdam Cocoa Week
Along with the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting, Chocoa’s Cocoa Sustainability Conference, Amsterdam Cocoa Week was also the setting for the Cacao of Excellence awards, which recognize excellence in cacao cultivation while supporting and...
Financial Results
Shift towards private-label chocolate steadies Barry Callebaut's sales
According to analysts, Barry Callebaut has posted a slight rise in sales volumes in three months to the end of November ahead of a challenging and overall declining chocolate confectionery market due to inflation that is squeezing household budgets.
BALANCING HEALTH AND INDULGENCE IN CONFECTIONERY
Colombia’s sugar reduction tax targets confectionery
The global landscape of food consumption is undergoing a significant shift with the introduction of sugar taxes in over 120 countries. These initiatives are primarily aimed at guiding consumers towards healthier lifestyle choices by reducing the intake...
WCF PM 2024
Chocolate Cordillera achieves early wins for its female cocoa farmers
At the end of 2023, Colombian sustainable brand Chocolate Cordillera announced that 106 female cocoa farmers from Urabá Antioquia had completed the first module of its ATENEA sustainability program, giving some the confidence to become fully independent...
Speical Report
Amazon chocolatiers: Biofactory offers ‘new way of living’ for forest communities
The Surucuá community in Brazil's state of Pará is the first to receive an Amazonian Creative Laboratory, a compact mobile biofactory designed to help kick-start the Amazon’s bioeconomy to process, package and sell bean-to-bar chocolate and similar...
Free-to-listen webinar - Speakers Announced!
Time’s up: EUDR webinar - speakers announced - how ready is cocoa?
ConfectioneryNews will be presenting a special live webinar on Tuesday 23 January 24 at 17:00Paris / 10:00AM Chicago to discuss the new requirements for market access for cocoa and chocolate suppliers into the European Union.
Special report
How Cacao Fino de Aroma put Colombia back on the map
It was almost 20 years ago that Colombian cocoa was officially recognized by the ICCO (International Cocoa Organization) as Cacao Fino de Aroma (fine aroma beans). Almost 95% of Colombia’s total cocoa production is classed as Cacao Fino de Aroma by the...
Premium
To’ak chocolate - and why it makes the perfect high-end and sustainable Christmas gift
To’ak Chocolate routinely charges over $300 for a single bar of chocolate, which is claimed to be the most expensive chocolate in the world. The brand justifies its price because it is responsibly sourced from a cacao variety, Ancient Nacional, native to...
Sustainability
Mission accomplished: Luker Chocolate wraps up The Cacao Effect project
Luker Chocolate is celebrating the completion of The Cacao Effect, a five-year initiative that the company said positively impacted over 6,000 rural families in Colombia. The closing event was held on 24 November 2023 in Bogotá, Colombia, and showcased...
All in a Day's Work
Julia Ocampo, Luker Chocolate, tells us about her role in food and drink
Julia Ocampo, vice president of cacao sourcing & sustainability at Luker Chocolate, tells Food Manufacture a little about herself and her role in our next instalment of the exclusive series 'All in a Day's Work'.
EXCLUSIVE
The ‘Cocoa Chanel’ effect: Salon du Chocolat woos Paris with mix of high fashion, taste and the best in bean-to-bar chocolate - WATCH!
This year, the chocolate industry’s most glamorous trade fair spanned five days and commanded two floors of the Paris Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, engaging and delighting the general public and attracting chocolatiers and chefs from across the...
Financial results
Nestlé reports double-digit sales growth in confectionery brands
In a market statement relating to its nine-month sales for 2023, Nestlé said growth was broad-based across most geographies and categories.
Events
Portugal hosts Latin America’s largest chocolate and cocoa festival
The International Chocolate and Cocoa Festival, which has been established in Brazil for more than 30 years, returns to Portugal for its second European edition, with a main theme of exploring the concept of terroir.