Chocolate Prophecies For 2014
January 10, 2014
The taste, shape, and size of chocolates may drastically change in the years to come, in accordance with cocoa price hikes.
The big names in the chocolate industry are bound to tweak their formulations in an attempt to cut costs. Loading bars with sugar is one of the anticipated moves. However, the price of sugar is also foreseen to increase by 8% this year.
There are sugar substitutes, such as steviol glycosides, but they are limited due to added cost and negative effects on the taste.
Expecting healthier sweeteners this year? Don’t hold your breath.
About the size and shape, manufacturers could rethink this aspect. This could help them cover up the downsizing. Like in late 2012 where Cadbury Dairy Milk changed their shape to rounded chunks, reducing the size from 49g to 45g, but with the same price.
In September last year, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved the cocoa flavanol heart health claim of Barry Callebaut. The first chocolate made by Callebaut’s flavanol-preserving Acticoa is anticipated to enter the European market this year to prove how far the health claim can be taken.
It’s no surprise that the origin of the cocoa affects the percentage of cocoa flavanols in the end product. And South and Central America origins have more flavanols than cocoa from the big producing nations in West Africa.
Chocolate is also expected to develop into a two-tier market. A certain brand could either be premium or affordable. Premium chocolate is foreseen to develop like the wine sector with cocoa origin blends built to meet aromatic profiles. On the other hand, affordable chocolate could be playing with more cocoa butter equivalents due to the rise of the cost of cocoa butter.
Do you have anything to pitch in? 🙂
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