Cocoa

The Australian chocolate and confectionery manufacturing industry has remained resilient despite recession, falling disposable incomes, volatile commodity prices and increasing competition. The advent of the health-conscious consumer has required producers to be innovative with their product lines and adapt them to changing consumer trends, says research firm IBISWorld, which recently updated its report on chocolate […]

Barry Callebaut has announced that it will be holding the first example of a new bi-annual conference for stakeholders in the cocoa/chocolate supply chain in June. The event, ‘Chocovision,’ will take place 5-7 June in Davos, Switzerland. As the company notes, demand for chocolate has increased steadily over the years. More and more consumers, especially

Working closely with the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), several large, international coffee roasters – Nestlé, Kraft, Tchibo, and Sara Lee (which together account for 30 per cent of world sales) – have started an ambitious programme to drive the development of sustainable coffee sales from their current level of around 8 per cent, to

An International Coffee Organization study into drinking patterns has found that fresh roasted coffee has been gaining ground in countries where soluble has always accounted for the lion’s share but, as Robin Stainer reports, where roasted has always been preferred the opposite trend has emerged. More coffee, it also emerges from its study, is drunk

A new conference for the international chocolate industry will take place in London later this year. The 2011 Confection Expo will showcase new products and act as a networking event for industry leaders. Keynote speeches will be given by some of the world’s biggest brands, including Mars, Cadbury, Chocolate Halba, Ashbury Chocolates, Cemoi, and Fredericks

South Korea’s per capita coffee consumption is five times greater than consumption in the rest of the Asia Pacific region, and despite the economic downturn it continues to grow, particularly as the younger generation embraces Western coffee culture. According to the latest report on the market from the US Department of Agriculture’s Global Agricultural Information

Releasing data from its 2011 National Coffee Drinking Trends survey, the National Coffee Association (NCA) in the US says the study indicates that consumption among consumers in the 18-39 age range has rebounded to 2008-2009 levels following a decline last year. The NCA said the finding mirror increased confidence expressed by that age group about

Hershey’s reports that as evidence regarding the health benefits of consuming dark chocolate and cocoa mounts, there has been an ongoing debate about which products deliver the most flavanols, and if key steps in production of cocoa and chocolate may diminish the level of the compounds. In a recently published paper, scientists reported on the

A new study has indicated that eating cocoa could help to prevent intestinal complaints linked to oxidative stress, including the onset of colon cancer. Scientists from the Institute of Food Science and Technology and Nutrition (ICTAN) recently published a paper in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research about a study that supports the idea

Cargill’s cocoa & chocolate business has unveiled details of the technology behind the first chocolate to achieve EU-approved ‘reduced calorie’ status. Cargill claims that the 30 per cent calorie reduction is double that of any other chocolate on the market and is equivalent to a saving of up to 160 calories for a 100g chocolate

New research undertaken at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) seems to confirm that consuming high concentrations of flavanols – such as those found in cocoa – lowers blood pressure, improves the health of blood vessels and increases the number of angiogenic cells circulating in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The findings, published