Candy changes it's ways....Candy with benefits

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:

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® 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® Soho(TM) Collection and Whitman's® 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® Fruit 'N Yogurt Snacks, which are loaded with real fruit and contain live and active cultures just like fresh yogurt, Hershey®'s 100 Calorie Pretzel Bar and Planters® 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® 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® sugar-free hearts or indulge in Baskin-Robins cookies n' cream flavored sugar-free hard candies. Tempt your taste buds with sugarless Life Savers® 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® natural
jelly beans, Green & Black's organic fine chocolate bars and RJ's all natural black, raspberry and orange licorice.

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