Chocolate confectionery

Despite some economic uncertainty, global retail demand for chocolate confectionery is expected to continue to expand steadily over the next few years, driven by the demand in developed countries seeking greater quality products. The growth is particularly high Asia (Indonesia, India) and Middle East. Nevertheless, consumers also intend to eat less of it: they want more premium offerings and healthier chocolate treats.

Chocolate innovation – new shapes, flavours, formats, ingredients – is increasing. However, new product launches have been stable between 2016 and 2020, with 2020 marked by a slowdown in launches (Mintel GNPD). As consumers are looking for healthier solutions, sugar reduction will be the main challenge for the industry. Still, today’s consumers are more likely to reduce their consumption of sweetened products than to switch to sugar-reduced confectionery. Nonetheless, protein enrichment will be an excellent opportunity for chocolate manufacturers seeking to diversify their healthy chocolate offerings.

Clean label claims have become a must have during the last years, but ethical claims have also gained importance. They are now leading in chocolate category and are constantly increasing. Ethical labels satisfy consumers’ demand for sustainable trading and farming and other environmental sustainability issues. LACTALIS Ingredients is dedicated to meeting these societal demands and fulfilling its Corporate Social Responsibility commitments. In turn, our commitment to respecting the farms, workers, land and animals that are so critical to our high-quality products, help to answer your own customers’ calls for transparency and clean products.