Trends and New Products in Markets Worldwide Lollipops, kids candy/toys, mini product sizing, seasonal products, limited editions, organic and functional products were trends seen at the 2001 International Sweets and Biscuits Fair. by David M. Schengrund

n abundance at the International Sweets and Biscuits create soda flavors) and flavors like coffee and mint in IFair were lollipops; kids’ confections plus toys; mini creams. There were a number of designer product sizing; seasonal products; limited edition intro- shells using chocolate or chocolate plus white choco- ductions; organic products; peanut products; confec- late to give high-definition designs. tionery applications to baked goods and baked goods Chocolate and chocolate-flavored coatings, plain and used in confections, especially for crunchy texture; fruit with inclusions, were used on biscuits; snack cakes; baked and cream or yogurt; and, lastly, functional products. sticks; wafers (flat and rolled); cookies (including Note that some confectionery products mentioned microwaveable); and panned articles, especially fruits, in this report came from retail either in Germany or in nuts (nut plus caramel) and sugar confections like sweet England. licorice, vanilla , gummi foams and toffee. Many , and , of the coated chocolate products were also chocolate either as is or in combinations to create a new choco- striped for upscale presentation. late dimension (dark milk chocolate), and white choco- Chocolate was also used inside caramels, toffees, late as a base for yogurt (plain or strawberry flavored) extruded cereal masses, cones, muffins and quality refrig- were used in bar goods; in baked items; as coatings for erated desserts like crème chocolate, and as chocolate lentils; as a base for confectionery decorations, either topping used with mini creamed pastries. Lastly, there as hearts, stars, flowers, curls or flakes; and in organic was a chocolate kit for making Christmas shapes for solid and filled bars. Aerated chocolate was used as a tree hanging. base for confectionery and fruit and as a fine bubbly In sugar confections marshmallow had many fruit fla- mass to yield creamy mouthfeel. vors, including sour notes, and came in many colors and Solid chocolate bars contained lentils, fizzies, dried shapes with positive designs across the face edge. It was fruit pieces, nut pieces, cereal grains (like puffs, flakes fruit or praline filled and chocolate coated. For gum- and crisps) and confectionery articles like nut brittles. mies, there was the use of gellan as the gelling agent, They were of different sizes and shapes (including hol- the fortification of gummies for sports activities, a broad iday and seasonal shapes) and were sometimes used as line of fruit flavors including sour, the use of yogurt, a a vehicle for delivering functional food like phos- broad range of textures and sugar-shell-coated gummi phatidylserine (to increase memory). centers. Fruit and cream with some fruit liquid centers Chocolate as a hollow shell was filled with toys or were prominent for high boils. Of course there was a with one or more of the following: cereal pieces (toasted broad array of fruit flavors in high-boil sweets. Chewies or puffed), nut pieces and pastes, confectionery pieces came in single, double and multifruit flavors and plain or liquids, different sweetening systems (including for and fruit-flavored yogurt. For there were fla- coolness), fruit pieces and pastes, dairy ingredients vored fudge plus praline covered with chocolate; crusted including cream, aerated , fizzies (as is or to soft fudge with many different flavors; and vanilla fudge,

The Manufacturing Confectioner • April 2001 65