Largest Candy and Snack Show Proves Industry Sales Sweet, Despite Sour Economy

ALL CANDY EXPO(R)Introduces Hottest New Products and Trends for 2009/2010,
Recaps 2008 Industry Performance

CHICAGO, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest candy and snack show in North
America, ALL CANDY EXPO(R) 2009 unveils more than 2,000 new confectionery
creations and snack sensations, May 19-21 at McCormick Place West Building.
The annual show, presented by the National Confectioners Association (NCA),
brings together industry experts and nearly 450 manufacturers to review
industry performance, preview new products and forecast the driving trends for
the coming year.

New Product Releases Drive Trends
For 2009/2010, NCA predicts the leading product trends including Classic
Remix, Super Fruits and Exotic Origins, Red Carpet Chocolate, Sweet
Sophistication, Flavor Flash Back, Super Sour and Flavor-full, and Holiday Hot
Spot:

-- Classic Remix - Tried and true confectionery favorites are taking on
new
tastes and flavor twists. MARS Snackfood US takes its traditional
"melt in your mouth, not in your hands" M&M'S(R)
Brand Chocolate Candies and goes tropical with limited edition Coconut
M&M'S(R) Brand Chocolate Candies. Get a double flavor punch
with Wrigley's SKITTLES(R) CRAZY CORES(TM), which feature two
mouth-watering SKITTLES(R) flavors in every piece. Hershey(R) goes to
the dark side with new Reese's(R) Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
Cups(R). And, Hershey(R)'s KISSES(R) Brand Chocolates now come with
a velvety smooth, chocolate meltaway center in a new decadent
offering,
Hershey(R)'s KISSES(R) MELTAWAY. Combining America's favorite
sugar-free chocolate candy with wholesome granola, Russell Stover(R)
Sugar Free Snack Bars are a delicious 100-calorie treat available in
Chocolate Delight Granola, Chewy Granola and Peanut Butter Granola.
-- Super Fruits and Exotic Origins - New confections and snacks cross
international lines and tantalize taste buds with super fruit essences
and exotic influences. Jelly Belly(R) introduces two new super fruit
flavors: Barbados Cherry, an emerging super fruit high in Vitamin C,
and
Acai (ah-sigh-ee) Berry, an exotic Amazon rainforest fruit, in their
new
Superfruit Mix, which also includes other super fruits of pomegranate,
blueberry and cranberry flavors. The new Chili Mango Jelly Belly(R)
jelly beans offer an exotic fusion of heat and sweet. A natural source
of fruit and antioxidants and only 100 calories per pack, Nestle(R)
Cranberry Raisinets(TM) combines all natural dried cranberries with a
smooth milk chocolate coating. YummyEarth(R) Organic Candy Drops(TM)
Anti-OxiFruits(TM) presents an organically delicious mix of super
fruit
flavors including Pomegranate Pucker(TM) and TooBerry Blueberry(TM).
Keep your breath fresher, longer with new island inspired Tic Tac(R)
Melon Mango mixed-flavor package from Ferrero USA, Inc. And Snack
Better(R) with Sahale Snacks Glazed Nuts Cashews with Pomegranate +
Vanilla, the perfect combination of whole roasted cashews with
pomegranate and apple, and balanced with pure vanilla bean. Also new,
try Sahale Snacks Glazed Nuts Almond PB&J with Peanuts + Berries;
and Almonds with Cranberries, Honey + Sea Salt.
-- Red Carpet Chocolate - An affordable indulgence, chocolate pleases
palates and wallets. Now more than ever, chocolate is proving every
day
can be gourmet with premium products that won't break the bank.
Ghirardelli(R) introduces the LUXE MILK(TM) collection of premium
chocolates for the ultimate milk chocolate experience. The collection
includes LUXE MILK(TM) Milk premium chocolate; LUXE MILK(TM) Hazelnut
with all-natural deep-roasted hazelnuts; LUXE MILK(TM) Almond with
crisp
toasted almonds; LUXE MILK(TM) Crisp with toasted crisped rice; and
LUXE
MILK(TM) Duet, which combines a layer of light, sweet milk chocolate
with a layer of bittersweet dark chocolate. In addition, MARS
Snackfood
US welcomes a harmonious pairing of soft and creamy peanut butter
surrounded by silky smooth DOVE(R) Chocolate in DOVE(R) Silky Smooth
Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter PROMISES(R). These individually
wrapped chocolates include eloquent "promise" captions inside
each wrapper. A delicate truffle, Landrin Waferatto Gold features an
exquisite chocolaty hazelnut filling wrapped in a smooth cream, wafer
coating and finished with the finest crushed hazelnuts.
-- Sweet Sophistication - Maturing to meet consumer demand for
sophisticated sweets, novel treats provide full sensory experiences
and
unusual flavor pairings to surprise and delight taste buds. DAS(R)
Lolli
lollipops challenge senses with bold new flavor pairings: Naughty
Ginger
is a unique ginger and lemon flavored pop, Caramelini Me Happy is a
salty caramel lollipop, Fab-O-Pom blends orange and pomegranate, and
Man
Bait is a unique maple bacon flavored lollipop that's sure to
appeal to his taste buds. Chuao Chocolatier's new Chinita Nibs
ChocoPod delivers an unusual, unexpected yet delicious flavor filling
of
caramelized cocoa nibs and nutmeg inside a dark chocolate shell. And
new
from Osmanium Candy Company, Crackheads2(R) Gourmet Chocolate Coffee
Caffeine dark chocolate coated coffee beans are sure to awaken your
senses.
-- Flavor Flash Back - Finding comfort in "sweet memories,"
consumers are returning to traditional tastes and packaging
reminiscent
of their childhood and happy times. This year, old is new again as
candy
company Just Born, Inc. introduces Goldenberg's(R) Original PEANUT
CHEWS(R), Mike And Ike(R) and Hot Tamales(R) in vintage package
designs.
If you're a sucker for lollipops, don't miss Tootsie(R)
Roll's classic Apple Orchard Caramel Apple Pop(TM) - the
traditional delicious apple candy pop with smooth caramel coating -
now
available in Golden Delicious and classic green apple, caramel apple
flavors. Welcoming a new member to the family, Hershey(R)'s Good
'N Plenty(R) and Good 'N Fruity(R) chewy fruit candy line
introduces a new bold cinnamon flavor - Good 'N Fiery(TM).
-- Super Sour and Flavor-full - Innovative super sour flavors and tangy
fillings are daring consumers to pucker up. For a long-lasting shock
that's Sour then Sweet(R), Cadbury's Sour Patch Chillerz(TM)
is a soft and chewy Sour Patch candy creation that leaves a tingling
surge of cool at the end. And Cadbury's new Trident Layers(TM) is a
uniquely formulated chewing gum with a special middle flavor layer you
can see. Trident Layers(TM) delivers an intriguing combination of two
juicy fruit flavors that blend together for one deliciously
long-lasting
flavor experience, available in Strawberry+Citrus and Apple+Pineapple.
Wonka's(R) PUCKEROOMS Sour Gummy Candy is the chewiest new treat
from Nestle(R), made with natural ingredients and 25 percent real
fruit
juice. The mushroom-shaped sour gummi candy delivers a tart twist with
a
curious combination of squishy and sour that dazzles your mouth. Candy
Dynamics' TOXIC WASTE(R) Hi-Voltage(TM) Bubble Gum amps up the
volume with three extra long cables of gum, each with a shockingly
sour
core and in hazardously sour flavors including Amp'd Apple,
Surgin' Strawberry and Blackout Blue Razz. Get the sour tickle with
the American Licorice Company's Chewy Extinguisher(R) Sour Fruit
Candy and Chewy Extinguisher(R) Sour Citrus Candy. Tackle three super
sour layers of fantastic flavor before reaching the Sweet Mixed Berry
Extinguisher inside.

-- Holiday Hot Spot - New seasonal treats give consumers reason to
celebrate. Just Born, Inc. presents holiday Marshmallow Reindeer
Chocolate Mousse PEEPS(R) and spooky Marshmallow Cats Chocolate Mousse
PEEPS(R). Trick-or-treat with DOTS(R) Halloween Mix, which includes
colorful Candy Corn DOTS(R), Blood Orange flavored Bat DOTS(R) and
haunting Ghost DOTS(R) (Tootsie(R) Roll Industries). For
Valentine's Day, try Necco's new Sweethearts(R) Conversation
Hearts Forbidden Fruits featuring "Twilight" movie-themed
conversation hearts with spellbinding phrases like "Live 4
Ever" and "Bite Me."

Industry Reports on 2008 Product Announcements and Sales*
In 2008, thousands of new confectionery and snack products debuted to meet
consumer demand:

-- 3,345 New confectionery products debuted:
-- Chocolate: 1,873
-- Non-chocolate: 1,291
-- Gum: 181
-- 3,121 new snack, cookie and cracker products debuted:
-- Cookies: 777
-- Crackers: 228
-- Potato chips: 434
-- Popcorn: 127
-- Nuts and seeds: 307
-- Cereal bars: 430

-- Other snacks (pretzels, puffed snacks, fruit snacks, meat snacks,
etc.): 818

*Datamonitor's Product Launch Analytics online database of new products SKUs
2008

Industry Posts Gains; Chocolate and Gum Lead Sales*
The confectionery industry posted a 3.7 percent gain for the 52-week period
ending April 19, 2009. Candy, chocolate and gum continued to lead the snack
category in sales and ranked third in food sales overall. The following key
categories experienced growth in 2008:

-- Chocolate, America's favorite flavor, remained popular in 2008:
-- Everyday gourmet (premium) chocolate sales rose 28 percent in
2008.
This marks the fourth year of double-digit growth for the
category.
-- Dark chocolate sales increased 12 percent.
-- Sugar-free gum led industry growth with a 10 percent sales increase
for
the last 52 weeks.
-- Licorice sales grew seven percent over the last 52-week period.

-- Gummies and chewy (non-chocolate) candy grew 10.7 percent in the last
52
weeks.

*Based on IRI and NCA data.

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 700 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 and its consumers.

SOURCE National Confectioners Association

Susan Fussell Whiteside of National Confectioners Association, +1-703-459-4296
(bb), susan.whiteside@CandyUSA.com; or Charlotte Fouch of Fleishman Hillard,
+1-202-828-5064, charlotte.fouch@fleishman.com, for National Confectioners
Association; or ALL CANDY EXPO(R) Press Room (May 19-21), Level 4, Room 471B,
McCormick Place West Building, +1-312-808-2105