Chocolate sans sugar still hits the sweet spot
Food companies diversify as consumers shun sugary items
With the market for traditional candy bars in developed countries flagging as consumers shun sugary items for healthier treats, food companies are trying to make chocolate more appealing. Their tactics include gimmicks like Ritter Sport's hemp-infused Chocolate and Grass bars (they don't get you high), new flavours and colours as well as formulas that cut down on sugar. Some chocolatiers are even diversifying away from candy. Hershey, which began selling its classic bar 120 years ago, is moving into popcorn and potato chips, while Mars said in November it would buy a stake in health snack firm Kind. Just two months later, Nestle agreed to sell its US confectionery unit amid falling revenue and a focus on products like coffee and water. "Sugar is portrayed as the new tobacco," said Eric Bergman, a commodities broker at Jenkins Sugar Group. "Consumers are now shifting away from the iconic, sugar-filled chocolate brands that we know and into healthier foods. The largest chocolate compa...
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