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ConfectionaryNews.com, a daily newsletter from this industry, has a Special Edition: The Rise of Functional Jellies.

“Functional,” you may recall, means something added over and above what is in the food to begin with.  In the case of gummy bears, it means added vitamins, minerals, herbals, or, these days, CBD.

The demand for functional jellies is growing with herbal extracts, cannabinoids and vitamins proving a good fit with the mainstream candy sector.

One of the quickest ways of getting nutrients into the body is via gums or jellies.

“Gummies have a slightly nostalgic feeling of something that we had as children, but in this version, it is completely transformed into a product that we can feel good about eating and that can easily fit into a healthy diet for kids and adults,” ​said ​Amanda Vagochik, VP of innovation at SinnovaTek.

In the articles below we look at how street-smart entrepreneurs are disrupting the industry with innovation and a fresh attitude and how CBD edibles are also changing the landscape of functionality in candy.

• Functional jellies, demand is growing thanks to CBD:  The demand for functionality is growing for convenient, but nutritious and tasty product solutions. Herbal extracts, which contain polyphenols caffeine, cannabinoids or vitamins have a good fit with the mainstream candy sector as one of the quickest ways of getting nutrients into the body is via gums or jellies… Read
• Matcha Bears pack energy and antioxidants in gummy form:  Three New York City entrepreneurs have developed gluten-free gummies infused with premium grade matcha that walk the line between functional and fun, reaching those who drink tea and those who just want a boost of energy at any time of day… Read
• Interview: SmartSweets primps the gummy category for future with ‘kick sugar’ ethos:  At the ripe age of 21, Tara Bosch wanted to cut her connection with sugary gummy worms. The result: a line of a favorite gummies made with stevia, coconut oil, tapioca and chicory root fiber, now available – in bright, bold packaging – online and in thousands of stores in the US and Canada… Read
• Pollen’s CBD gummies are the new kids on the block, with some history: Pollen, a new brand established by Melanie Goldsmith, aims to make ‘CBD simple’ in relation to its use in gummies and jellies… Read
• Upcycled, high protein gummies emerge from North Carolina produce and food science:  SinnovaVita uses microwave-assisted technology to extract protein-packed polyphenols from otherwise unwanted fruits and vegetables. They are sold under the Ripe Revival brand, which US grocery chain Kroger named a winner in its anti-hunger campaign… Read
• Vegan Gummy Bears continue winning streak:  Vegan and sugar free brand Free From Fellows has been recognized again for its Gummy Bears range, picking up an award at the Great British Food awards… Read
• CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS: Danny Lowe, founder/director, BLOCKHEAD:  BLOCKHEAD is a relatively new start up that makes functional confectionery such as Blockhead caffeine Energy Gum and Blockhead Vitamin Gum, available in retail stores across the UK. Founder Danny Lowe tells Confectionery News what inspired him to get into this high-energy market… Read

No getting around it.  It’s candy time again.

Researchers (somebody has to do this) tell us that candy popularity varies by state.

Here are a few items I’ve been collecting for this occasion.

• This is America’s most popular Halloween candy—and, no, it’s not candy corn:  Black licorice is America’s favorite Halloween candy.That’s a trick, not a treat.Actually, the country’s No. 1 sweet for All Hallows’ Eve is… Read more.
• Halloween 2019: A snapshot of new treats from America’s candy pros:  From ethical chocolate to glow-in-the-dark wrappers, the industry offers trick-or-treaters a plethora of new options and old standbys to celebrate on October 31. Read more
• Halloween increases demand for Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls:  Premium sweet brand Uncle Joe’s says it is looking at a 10% rise in demand for its Halloween and bonfire night treacle toffee in the run up to this year’s celebrations. Read more
• Halloween 2019: NCA champions informed choices and portion control:  The National Confectioners Association launched Halloween Central, an online hub packed with candy stats and resources to help parents navigate healthy choices with their children. Read more

Best of all is the candy industry’s advice for Halloween.

“Since there are many treats being handed out on Halloween, it’s a good time to keep balance in mind. Also, be sure to check out our 2019 press release.”

As families gear up to go trick-or-treating, the National Confectioners Association is keeping consumers in mind with Halloween Central, a digital resource offering a variety of tools to help consumers understand the unique role that chocolate and candy can play in a happy, balanced lifestyle.

Here is everything you ever wanted to know about U.S. pumpkin production.

Trick or treat!

The industry newsletter ConfectionaryNews.com has a collection of articles on “functional” candy.  In this context, “functional” means the addition of something not originally present to enhance the food’s nutritional value.

In the U.S., confectioners have to be careful not to violate the FDA’s so-called “jelly bean rule,” one that says you cannot add nutrients to foods (like jelly beans) just to make them appear to be healthy.

But wouldn’t it be great if candy was a health food?  Spirulina chocolate?  Read on.

Special Edition: Functional Confectionery

The consumer trend towards better-for-you snacks gives confections made with functional ingredients an opportunity to scoop up their share in the health and wellness market.

As part of this special edition on Functional Confectionery, ConfectioneryNews talks to YouBar about its nutrition bars that meet individualized recipes for dietary and nutritional needs; Rainmaker which is currently testing its first line of branded protein confectionery products in the UK and Ireland; and Supertreats’ carob powder which is a healthy alternative to cocoa.

• Michigan food incubator bets big on protein for confectionery startups’ growth:  Food incubator Rainmaker said incoming confectioners should mimic the snack category using protein as a functional ingredient to drive their sales… Read
• Carob’s health halo beats cocoa for kids confectionery, says UK start-up:  Far from being cocoa’s poor cousin, carob powder is the ideal ingredient for healthy confectionery for kids, mimicking the “shine, snap and silky smooth texture” of milk chocolate without the stimulants caffeine and theobromine, says Supertreats founder… Read 
• YouBar increases production for nutrition bars for individualized dietary needs:  YouBar has seen increased demand for its ready-for-market nutrition bars that meet individualized recipes for a range of dietary and nutritional needs… Read 
• Functional formulation: Turkish team hunt for recipe to better quality omega-3 chocolate:  Both white and dark chocolate can be used as a carrier matrix for bioactive substances like omega-3, say researchers. However the type of EPA and DHA used may have a major impact on quality, they warn… Read 
• Going for gum: Vitamin drinks brand expands into vitamin chewing gum:  A vitamin drinks brand is expanding into confectionery with its vitamin chewing gum: seeing the potential of both products to appeal to on-the-go consumers… Read 
• Spirulina finds success in Dutch start-up’s algae chocolate:  Dutch start-up The Algae Factory is pushing the foodpairing boundaries with its algae chocolate that contains sustainably sourced spirulina… Read

ConfectionaryNews.com has collected articles and videos into a Special Edition: The future of 3D printing in confectionery

Hershey tips 3D printing to take off like the microwave oven did in the 80s – with ultra-customized designs a possibility in retail stores. Katjes subsidiary the Magic Candy Factory is already making waves with its 3D sugar confectionery printer, allowing personalized designs. Now others, such as Barry Callebaut, are entering the fray. This special explores what the future holds for 3D printing in the confectionery industry.

• Katjes’s Magic Candy Factory installs 3D candy printers at Warner Bros. World: Katjes-owned, Magic Candy Factory has partnered with Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi to install multiple 3D candy printers across its theme park, which opens in April 2018… Read
• byFlow to focus solely on 3D printing for food as it sells 100th printer: byFlow has changed its business model focusing solely on 3D printers for food as it sells its 100th printer… Read
• Hershey continues to explore the possibilities of 3D printing: Hershey says it is continuing to explore the possibilities of 3D chocolate printing partnering with a ‘world-renowned culinary school’ and funding two students to focus on exploring real-world applications of the technology… Read
• Elephant-shaped gum: Wacker highlights 3D printer capabilities: Wacker has demonstrated the personalized shapes it can produce for candy, which turns into chewing gum, on its 3D printer at ProSweets 2017… Watch now
• 3D-printed candy selfies coming to theme parks: Katjes-owned company the Magic Candy Factory has introduced 3D Sweets Selfies, which it hopes will open up new channels for the industry at events and amusement parks… Watch now
• FOOD VISION 2017: Food evangelists, 3D printed selfies and the importance of ingredient diversity: Industry movers and shakers gathered in London last week for Food Vision discussing the some of the hottest trends and issues affecting the industry today. Here are some highlights if you couldn’t be there… Display
• 3D food printing: Precision and accuracy an obstacle to fulfilling potential: Printing precision and accuracy, process productivity and the production of colourful, multi-flavour, multi-structure products remain the biggest challenges to wider industry adoption of 3D food printing. .. Read

In honor of today’s sugar rush, I know you want to know this.

From Clair Robins comes this interactive map of what she calculates as the most popular Halloween candy in each state.

Click on the state….  And note: virtual candy has no sugar or calories.

Source: CandyStore.com.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s a big day for candy sales.

Just for fun, I Googled “healthy Valentine’s Day” just to see what would come up.   Lots, it turns out.

Here’s my favorite.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Confectioners.com went into the Open Secrets database to take a look at how candy companies spent their campaign contributions.

Mondelez, which owns these brands of chocolates: Milka, Toblerone, Caramilk, Cadbury:

Hershey’s:

Open Secrets is at https://www.opensecrets.org/.  It’s worth learning how to use it so you can dig up sweet tidbits like these.

Aren’t you happy that it’s that sweet, gooey time of year again?

As Julia Belluz of Vox points out

Candy and Halloween didn’t always go hand in hand.  It wasn’t until the 1950s that that candy industry started to push the stuff as a way to boost flagging fall sales.

The candy industry would love you to think:

• We eat so little candy that it makes no difference to our health.
• Kids who eat candy have healthier body weights than kids who don’t.
• Chocolate is a health food.

Kids do love candy, as this marketing report tells us.  I’ll bet these favorites have everything to do with advertising budgets.

Does candy have a place in healthy diets?  Sure, but in very small and occasional amounts.

Good luck getting through tonight’s trick-or-treat.

Happy Halloween, everyone.