ALL CANDY EXPO(R) Forecasts Upcoming Confectionery and Snack Trends

CHICAGO, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire/ — At the annual ALL CANDY EXPO(R), confectionery and snack-food industry leaders, distributors and retailers reveal the new trends that will drive sales for 2007 and 2008. The largest confectionery show in North America now adds savory snacks for the first time in the 11-year history of the EXPO. Sponsored by the National Confectioners Association, the ALL CANDY EXPO(R) will boast 2,000 new products from nearly 500 exhibitors from 75 different countries.

Trends Drive New Product Releases

Top trends driving product releases of 2007/08 include flavor fusions, international influences, artisan palate, sweet benefits, simply sugar-free, originally organic, reinventing classics, the dark side and child’s play:

   — Flavor Fusions — Manufacturers are creating novel flavor combinations      of confections and snacks to tempt the adventurous American palate.      Chewing gum is going fresh and fruity with flavors like Cadbury Adam’s      Trident Splash(R) Summer Spearmint and Eclipse(R) Fusion Peppermint      Berry. Sweet is also melding with spicy in exciting new flavor pairings      like Lindt Creations Cherry Chili Dark Chocolate 70% bar and the new      Spicy Maya bar (Chuao Chocolatiers) that packs a punch, pairing premium      dark chocolate with a hint of Pasilla chile, cayenne pepper and      cinnamon to excite taste buds. Snacks are also getting a savory surge      with new flavor combinations like Boulder Canyon(TM) Spinach and      Artichoke Potato Chips and Rice Works Sweet Chili Crisps.   — International Influences — Take a trip from traditional tasting sweets      and snacks with new exotic, internationally inspired flavors. Get a      taste of the islands with Tortuga(R) Caribbean Rum Cake or Sweet Maui      Onion chips from Poore Brothers(R). And explore the world of      single-origin chocolate with the latest additions in Russell      Stover’s(R) Private Reserve Origin Select(TM) and Dove(R) Origins line      of gourmet chocolates composed of fine cocoa beans grown in different      equatorial locales like Venezuela, Tanzania and Ghana.   — Artisan Palate — Specialty sweets and sophisticated snacks are      evolving to meet consumers’ more refined palates. Savor gourmet every      day with three new specialty flavors of Rena’s Gourmet Truffle Pop      Collection (key lime, dark brut chocolate and coconut) or give fruits a      gourmet touch with Splendid Chocolate Fondue Au Chocolat. Unwrap a      sweet escape with Nestle Treasures(R) bite-size truffles with gourmet      caramel, cappuccino or dark chocolate filling cloaked in silky-smooth      milk chocolate. New boxed artisan confections include Russell      Stover’s(R) Soho(TM) Collection and Whitman’s(R) Urban Collection and      feature gourmet flavors like pear praline and sea salt caramel as well      as bite-size gourmet chocolates painted with elegant designs.   — Sweet Benefits — From calorie conscious confections to the healthful      and fortified, manufacturers are meeting health conscious consumers’      demands with benefits packed into popular sweets and snacks. Among the      many new nutritive treats are Welch’s(R) Fruit ‘N Yogurt Snacks, which      are loaded with real fruit and contain live and active cultures just      like fresh yogurt, Hershey(R)’s 100 Calorie Pretzel Bar and Planters(R)      NUT-triton Heart-Healthy Mix. And in the gourmet chocolate market, new      products now highlight heart healthy, antioxidant rich cacao      percentages. Indulge in all ends of the spectrum, from Scharffen      Berger(R) Milk Nibby with 41 percent cacao to Guylian Twist 70% Extra      Dark.   — Simply Sugar-free — New confections are going sugar-free while staying      flavor-full. Share the sweetness on Valentine’s Day with PEEPS(R)      sugar-free hearts or indulge in Baskin-Robins cookies n’ cream flavored      sugar-free hard candies. Tempt your taste buds with sugarless Life      Savers(R) Fruit Tarts(TM) with a mouth-watering blend of fruit and sour      sensations. And new flavors and unique packaging of sugar-free gum and      mints are also keeping the breath market fresh. New sugarless products      include Aura(TM) Clip’n'Go(TM) mints and gum, Cadbury Adam’s Stride(TM)      new Forever Fruit flavored gum and Wrigley’s 5(TM) gum available in      Rain(TM) (a tingling spearmint), Cobalt(TM) (a cooling peppermint) and      Flare(TM) (a warming cinnamon).   — Originally Organic — For the savvy snack and candy consumer, new      products are harnessing the all natural goodness of pure ingredients      and increasingly earning the USDA organic seal of approval. Going green      never tasted so good with the variety of new organic products like      Montana Monster Munchies all-natural cookies, Jelly Belly(R) natural      jelly beans, Green & Black’s organic fine chocolate bars and RJ’s all      natural black, raspberry and orange licorice.   — Reinventing Classics — The familiar face of some of consumers’      favorites are getting a make over. Proving that the classics never go      out of style, the new 3 Musketeers(R) Mint Bar, REESE’s(R) Whipps(TM)      bar, Nestle(R) Crunch(R) Crisp Bar and Oreo(R) Cakesters are just some      of the brand extensions debuting at the EXPO.   — The Dark Side — Chocolate confections continue to dip into the growing      demand for dark chocolate. Decadent and delicious, consumers have more      options with new dark chocolate indulgences including M&M(R) Dark      Chocolate Peanut, Ferrero’s Rondnoir with “black pearl” center and dark      chocolate crème filling, Ghirardelli Evening Dream dark chocolate bars      and Dark Chocolate Cranberries from Terri Lynn.   — Child’s Play — New interactive candies encourage kids of all ages to      play with their food! Strike a tune on new Airheads Whistle Pops(R) or      get crafty with crEATables(R) fun gummi laces. Chomp into new Lunch      Meat Bubble Gum(TM) or paint your tongue blue with Cadbury Adam’s      Bubblicious(R) Ink’d(TM) bubble gum. Play doctor with new Belly      Bugs(TM), which include plastic tweezers to pull pesky gummi bugs right      from the candy patient’s tummy — and eat them!     Industry Reports on 2006 Product Announcements and Sales   — In 2006, thousands of new confectionery and snack products debuted      tempting taste buds of consumers everywhere.      — 2,910 new confectionery products debuted:*         — Chocolate: 1,478         — Non-chocolate: 1,272         — Gum: 160      — 2,711 new snack, cookie and cracker products debuted:*         — Cookies: 806         — Crackers: 164         — Chips: 391         — Popcorn: 132         — Nuts and seeds: 218         — Snack bars: 326         — Other snacks (pretzels, puffed snacks, fruit snacks, meat snacks,            etc.): 674      *(Datamonitor’s Productscan online database of new products 2006)    Mints, Sugar-free Gum, and Chocolate Top the Charts in 2006*   — The confectionery industry ended 2006 1.6 percent ahead of 2005.   — Candy and gum ranked third among food categories in 2006.   — In 2006, gum continued to dominate the industry with 4.2 percent sales      growth overall and 11.4 percent sales growth in sugar-free gum      specifically.   — Mints had a refreshing boost in sales during 2006 with a 21.6 percent      increase.   — Chocolate continues to be a big seller on shelves, with boxes, bags and      bars as favorites with an 8.9 percent growth spurt.   — Chewy non-chocolates like gummi candy and fruit chews showed impressive      gains in 2006 with a 3.3 percent increase.       *(Information Resources Inc., sales in food, drug and mass outlets)    Candy Sales Hot Around Holidays  

Confectionery sales continue to cluster around major holidays, with Halloween leading sales in 2006 and Easter a close second. Halloween secured its lead with a 2.8 percent growth overall, while Easter stood out in 2006 posting a 7 percent sales increase thanks to a late April celebration. Also making gains, the winter holiday season and Valentine’s Day both posted a 1 percent increase in 2006 and ranked third and fourth in overall holiday sales respectively.

About the National Confectioners Association (NCA)

Founded in 1884 in Chicago by representatives of 69 confectionery manufacturing firms, the National Confectioners Association is one of the oldest, most respected trade associations in the world. Today NCA has more than 600 members and is the major association representing the entire confectionery industry, offering education and leadership in manufacturing, technical research, public relations, retailing practices, government relations and statistical analyses. NCA fosters industry growth by advancing and promoting the interests of the confectionery industry, its customers and its consumers.

National Confectioners Association

CONTACT: Susan Fussell of National Confectioners Association, cell,+1-703-459-4296, susan.fussell@CandyUSA.com; or Jeanette Casselano ofFleishman Hillard, +1-202-828-8833, jeanette.casselano@fleishman.com, forNational Confectioners Association