Sweets

Changes and innovations in the confectionery market are driven by four long-term developments. Consumers' increasingly health-conscious lifestyles require profound changes in recipes. In particular, the need for purely plant-based, vegetarian or vegan products and natural, clearly understandable colorants, sweeteners and flavors stands out, as does the need to significantly reduce the sugar content of confectionery. The growing importance of clean labels creates a dilemma in this regard, as the use of natural ingredients requires the use of complex processing technologies in order to be able to maintain flavor and texture quality. In parallel to this development, there is a growing demand for functional sweets and snacks that combine sensory enjoyment with a positive health effect. In addition to dietary fibers, vitamins and plant proteins, natural food supplements that have a positive effect on brain performance, intestinal function and the nervous system are increasingly coming into focus, or biologically active plant substances that have a stress-reducing or immune-boosting effect. The third major trend is the high pressure to innovate. On the product side, it creates the need to develop product variants, but also entirely new products, flavors, colors and textures. At the same time, however, packaging and distribution innovations are required on an ongoing basis to meet customer demands and changing market conditions. And finally, the confectionery industry must adapt its purchasing, manufacturing and distribution structures to the increasingly demanding environmental and social sustainability standards resulting from both legal requirements and consumer expectations.