Chocolate sales set to rocket this Halloween

Halloween is one of the top holiday in terms of volume sales for confectioners, as consumers will spend more than $2.1bn on chocolate and sweets later this month in the US alone, states a new report.Children across the globe will be handed out sweets and chocolates as they carry out the US tradition knocking on doors and calling “trick or treat”, making the Halloween holiday one of the most important trading periods for confectionery companies.

“There’s no doubt about it, when doorbells ring on October 31, consumers respond with candy, and lots of it,” said Todd Hale, senior vice president at Neilsen, who compiled the report.According to Hale, US sales of chocolate and sweets, or “candy”, are expected to increase 63 per cent compared to the previous ten weeks.

“Nielsen’s data shows that 29 October and 15 April, the day before Easter Sunday, were the top two days in terms of dollar sales last year, but Halloween also ranks in the top ten,” he added.

Consumers seem to prefer smaller treats to hand out to the children that knock on the front door, as the greatest increases in volume sales are in the miniature confectionery category.The category of smaller chocolate bars and sweet packets generated 39 per cent of its annual sales during the Halloween season in 2006, Hale said, while the overall confectionery candy generated 22 per cent of annual sales over the same period.

Not surprising, seasonal confectionery demonstrating a spooky or scary theme is also very popular at this time, with 28 per cent of lollipops sold during Halloween featuring images of “scary” characters such as witches and ghosts.“For retailers and manufacturers, Halloween is a concentrated selling period for seasonal items, and our research shows consumers putting a strong showing at the cash register,” Hale said.

Chocolate Cravings May Start Deep In Gut

Digestive Bacteria Could Change Tastes

POSTED: 11:20 am EDT October 12, 2007

WASHINGTON – If that craving for chocolate sometimes feels like it is coming from deep in your gut, that’s probably because it is.

A small study is shown to link the type of bacteria living in people’s digestive system to a desire for chocolate. Everyone has a vast community of microbes in their guts. But people who crave chocolate on a daily basis show signs of having different colonies of bacteria than people who are immune to chocolate’s allure and don’t seem to crave it much. 

That may be the case for other foods, too. The idea could eventually lead to
treating some types of obesity by changing the composition of the trillions of bacteria occupying the intestines and stomach, said Sunil Kochhar, co-author of the study. It appears Friday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Proteome Research.

Kochhar is in charge of metabolism research at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. The food conglomerate Nestle SA paid for the study. But this isn’t part of an effort to convert a few to the dark side (or even milk) side of cocoa, Kochhar said. In fact, the study was delayed because it took a year for the researchers to find 11 men who don’t eat chocolate. Kochhar compared the blood and urine of those 11 men, who he jokingly called “weird” for their indifference to chocolate, to 11 similar men who ate chocolate daily. They were all healthy, not obese, and were fed the same food for five days. The researchers examined the byproducts of metabolism in their blood and urine and found that a dozen substances were significantly different between the two groups. For example, the amino acid glycine was higher in chocolate lovers, while taurine (an active ingredient in energy drinks) was higher in people who didn’t eat chocolate. Also chocolate lovers had lower levels of the bad cholesterol, LDL.

The levels of several of the specific substances that were different in the two groups are known to be linked to different types of bacteria, Kochhar said. Still to be determined is if the bacteria cause the craving, or if early in life people’s diets changed the bacteria, which then reinforced food choices. How gut bacteria affect people is a hot field of scientific research. Past studies have shown that intestinal bacteria change when people lose weight, said Dr. Sam Klein, an obesity expert and professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. Since bacteria interact with what you eat, it is logical to think that there is a connection between those microbes and desires for certain foods, said Klein, who wasn’t part of Kochhar’s study. Kochhar’s research makes so much sense that people should have thought of it earlier, said J. Bruce German, professor of food chemistry at the University of California Davis. While five outside scientists thought the study was intriguing, Dr. Richard Bergman at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, had concerns about the accuracy of the initial division of the men into groups that wanted chocolate or were indifferent to it. What matters to Kochhar is where the research could lead. Kochhar said the relationship between food, people and what grows in their gut is important for the future: “If we understand the relationship, then we can find ways to nudge it in the right direction.” 

Kraft Foods recalls White Chocolate baking squares

On Wednesday Kraft Foods recalled its Baker’s Premium White Chocolate Baking Squares distributed throughout the United States due to possible salmonella contamination.

The company reported that the recalled product is in 6-ounce packages with UPC Code 0043000252200 and the following “best when used by” dates: 31 MAR 2008 XCZ, 01 APR 2008 XCZ, 02 APR 2008 XCZ, 03 APR 2008 XCZ.

 About 24,000 cases of the product involved in the recall were produced, Kraft spokeswoman Cathy Pernu said. So far there have been no reports of illness.  Kraft was notified of the possible contamination after testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration detected the presence of salmonella in some 6-oz. packages.  Kraft is continuing to investigate the source of the problem.

Why do we Love to eat Chocolate?

Do you ever wonder why we love chocolate so much? The answer may seem as simple as because it tastes good, but there may be more to it than that. There are actual studies to back up some of the physical effects you can experience while eating certain kinds of chocolates. The stimulation your body gets provides a pleasant feeling to your taste buds, making you always come back for more.

Chocolate is known to be a mild mood elevator, stimulating brainwaves and pushing your stress levels down. This is probably why alot of people will stuff themselves with sweets when they are angry or upset. Little do they know it, but they are actually helping themselves out by eating chocolates. When your stress levels lower, you become more relaxed which in turn is beneficial to your health.

Chocolates also raise antioxidant levels in the blood, which in turn help fight any foreign bodies that can cause illnesses. With healthier levels, you are much less likely to come down with viruses or other things that could affect you at various times of the year.

And of course there is the benefit your taste buds feel when consuming your favorite candy bar or other chocolate treat. Eating sweets just puts you in a better mood, keeping you in touch with the child within. Whether it is peanut butter flavored chocolates, chocolate covered raisins, or creamy white chocolate you will be experiencing utter satisfaction when you indulge yourself. It’s hard to explain, but only true chocolate lovers will understand this.

Giving the gift of chocolates is a very rewarding experience. You know that the person who receives it will enjoy it many times over and be grateful with every savory bite. There is a tremendous variety of gifts today, from chocolate flowers to boxed treats. And many are low priced making them an even more attractive option. Several companies specialize specifically in this area, personalizing and shipping items direct for you.

One thing to remember though is that there are some negative effects on your body, should you consume it often. There are generally high levels of sugar in chocolates, mainly due to the other ingredients that are added. Too much sugar will result in extra calories and fat which can lead to higher cholesterol if you don’t regularly exercise. One of the largest problem plaguing our society today is obesity. Eating too much chocolate will put you in this category and increase your risk for serious health problems.

So the next time you are enjoying your favorite candy bar or talking to a fellow chocolate lover, you can ponder why it is you love eating it so much. The simple answer is the taste, but you now know that there is much more to it. There are even some physical reasons for this, almost forcing your body to eat it. And fortunately for you the chocolate choices are endless.

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