ConfectioneryNews.com • 21st July 2025

Latin America and Asia emerge as bright spots for cocoa supply in 2025

As cocoa producers and confectionery brands grapple with continued market uncertainty, fresh opportunities are emerging beyond the traditional West African supply base. While the cocoa crisis has dominated headlines, the real story now is how regions like Latin America and Asia are stepping up to help stabilise supply chains and support long-term production.

The Staff Canteen • 19th May 2025

Ollie Bridgwater, Executive Head Chef, Gilpin Hotel: “It’s an inspiring place for me and the team to be”

Ollie’s role as executive chef is to oversee all of Gilpin Hotel & Lake House’s food operations, but mainly to head up the Gilpin Hotel’s Michelin Star venue SOURCE, renamed from HRiSHi, that it launched in February 2023.

19th May 2025

Urban Agriculture: A Key to Sustainable Cities or Just a Trend?

As the world grapples with a growing population, food scarcity, and waste, urban agriculture (UA) is gaining attention as a potential solution.

Researchers have delved into the food production and resource use of urban farms and gardens in the UK, France, Germany, Poland, and the US, assessing their role in sustainable agriculture.

19th May 2025

Scientists discover value-added benefits of sea cucumbers

Researchers from the University of South Australia have analysed sea cucumbers, or Holothuria scabra Jaegar 1833, to evaluate the inhibitory properties of protein-bound advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

The study furthers understanding of the part the marine animal extracts play in lowering the onset of diabetes.

19th May 2025

Singapore introduces Food Safety and Security Bill

Amid growing food safety concerns and supply chain disruptions, the Singapore Food Agency passes its Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB) to provide greater clarity, assurance, and credibility.

19th May 2025

Singapore explores farmland-free food production

Researchers discover new technology replicating on-farm food production conditions from within the indoor lab environment.

ConfectioneryNews.com • 19th May 2025

Beyond the big five: How everyday celebrations are fuelling seasonal confectionery sales

Special occasion days like Mother’s Day, Lunar New Year and World Chocolate Day are becoming powerful sales drivers for confectionery brands.

ConfectioneryNews.com • 5th May 2025

Confectionery brands boost sales with big-name collaborations

In 2024, confectionery brands leaned hard into cross-category and cross-industry partnerships. The last quarter of the year saw global names team up with food service, fashion, and sporting giants, making an early addition to their 2025 marketing campaigns and sales figures.

ConfectioneryNews.com • 5th May 2025

EU Commission reaches agreement on the EU-Mercosur deal

The Association of Chocolate, Biscuit, and Confectionery Industries of Europe, CAOBISCO, the European sugar industry association CIUS sugar group, and the Abicab Brazilian confectionery body were among 79 organisations across industries that called for an end to the negotiations on the European Union and Mercosur trade deal.

ConfectioneryNews.com • 5th May 2025

Chocolate sales still soaring in US with consumers favouring milk variety

The National Confectioners Association (NCA) releases its latest insights on chocolate consumers in its new research, Getting to Know Chocolate Consumers 2024.

ConfectioneryNews.com • 5th May 2025

Pursuing critical sustainable food production at COP16

The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16) kicked off on October 30, this year (2024), marking the latest collaborative effort to action the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The GBF seeks to tackle the triple environmental crises of climate change; nature, biodiversity and land loss; and pollution and waste.

5th May 2025

Africa progresses with food transformation strategy

Large-scale efforts are underway to drastically change the African food sector with a $61 billion (€55 bn) set of proposed transformation plans to be implemented across forty countries. Yet there are concerns that this initiative severely jeopardises small-scale farmers’ livelihoods as well as the wider agricultural landscape.

5th May 2025

Is a US food law loophole affecting safety?

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows companies to self-regulate the safety of their ingredients and additives by declaring them to be “generally recognised as safe” (GRAS), which poses huge public safety concerns, say researchers.

5th May 2025

Indonesia introduces new halal certification system

International food and beverage companies importing halal products into Indonesia need to adhere to new rules after the country introduced a new halal certification system.

5th May 2025

Will ‘foie gras’ become the EU’s first approved cultivated meat?

French startup Gourmey has submitted its cultivated foie gras for approval in the European Union (EU), signalling the first application of its kind in the region.

5th May 2025

UK food security is in ‘absolute chaos’

The UK’s food security landscape is 'absolute chaos', according to food safety expert Chris Elliott, and the country urgently needs a food security policy to protect consumers and support businesses.

5th May 2025

Europe gravitates to African spices

Shipping delays, limited production output and climate change impact Europe’s spice supply, creating opportunities for African brands to enter the captive market.

5th May 2025

Venezuela is latest LATAM country to adopt warning labels

Scheduled for December 2024, Venezuela will introduce mandatory warning labels on foods to inform consumers if they are high in salt, saturated fat, sugar, and trans fats.

5th May 2025

Mondelēz International invests $5 million in Pakistan

The leader in food, snacking, and confectionery is putting $5 million into its Pakistan subsidiary, an emerging market in Asia, to grow its localisation and exports.

5th May 2025

Fibre-filled bread leads health-conscious baked buys in Asia

Value revolves around better-for-you bakery claims and nutritious seed-rich loaves as consumers seek less sugar and more fibre from their baked goods, according to Mintel.

5th May 2025

Are Indian spice exports heading for crisis?

Spice mix contamination investigations, tightened safety rules, market volatility due to crop production changes, and price hikes are affecting India’s spice market.

5th May 2025

Will ASEAN harmonise food marketing rules for children?

ASEAN Health Ministries and UNICEF release new guidelines on how food and beverage brands should market their products to children to protect them from harm.

5th May 2025

Instant noodles, pasta, and soups launch with Desi flavours

Indian consumers call for Desi flavours formulated in healthier instant noodles, pasta and soups, with manufacturers pitching products with healthier-for-you marketing.

5th May 2025

Japanese-inspired umami products expand into global consumer markets

Brands are responding to shoppers' interest in cooking ingredients with deep flavours, by launching new products that emphasise umami-rich flavours inspired by Japanese cuisine.