Chocolate Candy Makers Flock to the Dark Side

One-third of 2006s new chocolate candy launches in the USA are dark chocolate products, up from one-quarter of chocolate candy launches in 2005
 
Naples - NY, 29 August 2006 Darker is better when it comes to tans and apparently when it comes to selling candy.  Thats one conclusion that can be reached by looking at the candy industrys recent fascination with dark chocolate.  According to Datamonitors Productscan Online database of new products, dark chocolate now accounts for 33.4% of total chocolate candy introductions in the USA, roughly double the 15.5% share that dark chocolate launches held for the chocolate candy category as recently as 2002.

Whats fueling the boom?  Dark chocolate has positive health properties that are rare in the candy industry.  Dark chocolate contains cocoa flavanols, which are natural compounds found in cocoa beans.  These flavanols are credited with a broad range of health benefits from improved blood flow and blood vessel relaxation to reduced risk of blood clots.
 
But not all chocolate products contain high levels of cocoa flavanols.  Traditional cocoa processing often destroys flavanol compounds, which can make it tricky for the consumer to judge the health benefits of one dark chocolate product versus another.
 
Consumers can get an idea of the relative goodness of chocolates by checking labels for products that list the percentage cocoa or cacao content, though this does not necessarily mean that beneficial flavanol compounds survive the production process.  Even so, more and more dark chocolate products are touting the percentage cocoa or cacao content on the packaging.
 
Most dark chocolate bars rarely exceed a cacao or cocoa content of 70% since doing so can result in bitter tasting products.  There are some notable exceptions, though.  In Japan, Meiji Seika has recently introduced a line of dark chocolate bars under the Meiji Chocolate Koka Ita name which contain 99% Cacao, 86% Cacao and 72% Cacao.  And in the USA, Hershey Company is readying a September launch of Cacao Reserve by Hershey Premium Candy Bars, which list the percentage cacao/cocoa content on the packaging.
 
 
Dark Chocolate Moves to the Mass-Market
 
Ingredient details aside, even mass market candies are jumping on the dark chocolate bandwagon.  Wrigleys new Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Mints, Masterfoods USAs new M&Ms Dark Chocolate Chocolate Candies and Snickers Limited Edition Dark Candy Bar along with Nestles new Dark Raisinets, Dark Chocolate Carmel Treasures and Nestle Crunch Dark Limited Edition Candy Bar are recent examples of the trend in the USA.
 
Dark chocolate launches are also prominent in other world markets.  In the UK, Cadbury Flake Dark Chocolate Bar is new from Cadbury Schweppes while Kraft Foods recently introduced Toblerone Swiss Dark Chocolate with Honey and Almond Nougat in Argentina.  And in Italy, Nestle has its new Kit Kat Fine Dark Candy Bar.
 
Whats next for dark chocolate?  Look for the flavor to pop up more frequently in categories like ice cream, snacks and even cooking sauces.  For the latter, Clackamas, OR-based Diva Chocolates recently introduced a line of chocolate grilling rubs and spice blends for beef and chicken under the Diva Chocolates brand featuring unusual ingredients like dark chocolate, orange peel, lemon grass, espresso and cinnamon.
 
Dark chocolate could be the next red wine, comments Tom Vierhile, Director of Datamonitors Productscan Online database of new products.  Then again, the longevity of dark chocolates run may depend upon how well it stands up to medical scrutiny and that remains to be seen.