Healthy Sweets on the Rise

According to a recently released Business Insights report—“Growth Opportunities in Confectionery”—sweets that possess a functional or healthy ingredient will appeal to an increasing number of consumers in the future. Consumers like to indulge in sweets, such as chocolate, but are beginning to expect health-boosting properties as well. In order to meet this demand and provide new and unique products, companies are looking to superfruits that possess high antioxidant levels or other health claims. Popular examples are pomegranate and goji. Fruits also provide the “natural” element that consumers are concerned about. In fact, natural will be the most important health trend in confectionery over the next five years.

In addition to sweets' health properties, consumers are becoming increasingly interested in provenance and authenticity. This is especially significant in chocolate. Consumers are choosing single-origin chocolate according to region and the level of cocoa solids, an approach similar to that in wine and cheese tasting. Speaking of chocolate, it claims the largest share of the European confectionery market value. By 2010, the total European chocolate market will reach a value of $34.5 billion out of a total market value of $61.2 billion.

According to Business Insights, the top 10 flavors to watch for the next two years are:

  • Pomegranate
  • Coffee
  • Grape
  • Cranberry
  • Green tea
  • Chilli
  • Cinnamon
  • Ginseng
  • Eucalyptus
  • Goji

Along with some of the up-and-coming flavor trends for the confectionery market, the Business Insights report covers market size in Europe, Americas, Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Additionally, it discusses how leading confectionery companies are reacting to the ethical issues of sustainability, climate change and packaging. The effects of European regulations—specifically the health and nutrition claims—are highlighted. For more information or to purchase “Growth Opportunities in Confectionery: Emerging flavors and new added value segments,” click here.

More in Sweet Applications