Chocolate’s on a health kick. And it’s crushing it!

Table of Contents

• What is “healthier” in confectionery?

• DITCH IT!

  • Sweet, but no sin

  • Unjunk the chunk

• BOOST IT!

  • Functional food is hot right now 

  • Performance enhancer: Protein

  • Gut feeling: Prebiotics

  • Another gut feeling: Probiotics

  • New-age wellness: Botanicals 

• OWN IT!

When I first heard the phrase “Healthy Indulgence”, I thought it to be one of the most outrageous oxymorons. In my mind – especially when it came to packaged food – if it tasted good, it was probably terrible for you. I wasn’t alone in this thinking.

But that mindset has shifted dramatically. Consumers no longer just accept that taste and health can very much go together in packaged food – they expect it. Every food and beverage category is being pushed to offer healthier or better-for-you (BFY) variants. Especially the categories we’ve traditionally associated with pure indulgence. Like chocolate and candy, which are going through a full-blown guilt-free wellness makeover. 

What is “healthier” in confectionery?

So how exactly are chocolate and candy makers appealing to everyone from crunchy moms to gym bros? Well, that kind of depends on how you define “healthier”, but  the great thing about no standard definition is that there are multiple niches to excel in (or screw up, if half-glass-empty is your vibe).

By my calculations, there are 3 main plays for the BFY game here:

• Ditch it: Get rid of those offending ingredients, refined sugar, artificial colors, flavors, fillers, the works.

• Boost it: Flex hard, functional ingredients.

• Own it: No tweaks needed, just embrace the indulgence.

Let’s look at how each of these is playing out…

DITCH IT!

Sweet, but no sin

Sugar’s reign as the biggest villain in the H&W world continues. Over 130 jurisdictions globally have slapped taxes on sugary drinks so far, and the impact may soon spill over into snacks and sweets. According to the Obesity Evidence Hub, these taxes have resulted in higher prices for the drinks, reduced consumption, and greater product reformulation. 

Around 64% of global consumers have expressed interest in sugar-free claims for food, according to FMCG Gurus. Some 20% also said that they had health issues that required them to monitor their sugar consumption. So, it’s not wildly unexpected that the global sugar-free confectionery market, worth US$2.45 billion in 2024, is projected to exceed US$3 billion by 2030. 

Sugar reduction comes in multiple formats, with numerous replacements available now, from natural sweeteners to refined sugar alternatives, like coconut sugar or even whole dates. 

Unjunk the chunk

Consumers want ingredient lists they can actually pronounce and aren’t harmful to them. That’s why the clean-label movement is booming. In fact, the global clean-label ingredients market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.5% over the next decade: from US$57.3 billion in 2025 to US$212.4 billion in 2035. 

Part of the move towards clean label foods also includes removing potential allergens or at least being more transparent about them, as food intolerance sees a spike. Confectionery with organic and free-from claims (gluten, dairy, refined sugar) are also seen as clean, and thus better-for-you. The global gluten-free chocolate market, for example, was worth US$1.7 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach US$2.9 billion by 2030. Such clean label products are especially popular with parents looking for safe treats for their kids.

YummyEarth has a wide range of chocolate and sugar confectionery products that are free from the top 9 allergens, GMOs, gluten, and artificial dyes. They are also vegan-friendly and use organic ingredients.

BOOST IT!

Functional food is hot right now 

A global study of more than 13,000 consumers across 25 countries by HealthFocus International looked at interest in functional foods – a health benefit beyond nutrition. Nearly 3 in 4 consumers know what functional foods/beverages are and more than half are interested in them, with younger consumers driving the growth.

And then of course, there’s what exactly consumers want in terms of health benefits. The same study found these to be the leading responses. These are an indication of what functional ingredients will see a boom in the confectionery space.

Performance enhancer: Protein

Protein is perhaps the most popular functional ingredient in use today. Practically every food category is looking to shore up its nutritional cred with protein, since it contributes to improved energy and performance. Confectionery is no different.  

Gut feeling: Prebiotics

Gut health is pretty high on the list of benefits that consumers want, and prebiotics have the potential to be a rather interesting addition in confectionery. Just because people want less sugar in their chocolate, doesn’t mean they are willing to give up on taste.

Prebiotics aren’t just an ingredient beneficial for gut health, they also often function as natural sweeteners and dietary fiber. They act as food for the gut microflora, aiding their growth and maintaining balance in the gut. 

Some of the more popular natural sweeteners that are also prebiotics include galactooligosaccharides (found in milk products like yogurt, kefir), fructooligosaccharides (found in chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic, onions), honey, and inulin (found in chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke, garlic).

Another gut feeling: Probiotics

There is significant interest in probiotics in general, given its association with gut health. However, adding plain old probiotics to anything tends to be a bit problematic since probiotics are extremely sensitive to temperature. New research may have found a way to incorporate probiotics in chocolate to enhance the functionality of chocolate while also keeping flavor intact. The study found that probiotic chocolate that also included prebiotics – like corn or honey – could maintain the probiotics for over 125 days while also showing higher antioxidant levels and not compromising taste. In some samples, however, the use of flavorings had an impact on the characteristics. 

New-age wellness: Botanicals 

The demand for natural foods is also linked to the “food as medicine” trend, and botanicals have done well out of this. Those that claim to offer adaptogenic or nootropic benefits have won over consumers looking for solutions aimed at mental well-being – mood enhancement, stress relief, sleep, to help deal with the always-on lifestyle of today.

The Functional Chocolate Company from the UK offers a pretty wide range of products claiming benefits like focus, sleep support, pain support, PMS and menopause support, and so on. The company even has a range for children over the age of 4 years, though the ingredient list is different from the adult products. 

Japan-based start-up Maison Marianne Chocolates specializes in premium functional chocolates crafted with organic cacao sourced from a sustainable farm in Peru. The brand infuses its chocolate with adaptogens and functional ingredients like maitake, lion’s mane, ginseng, and tremella mushrooms to support wellness benefits such as stress relief, improved sleep, and skin health.

Customers can even order personalize chocolate bars by selecting specific functional ingredients and flavors to match their needs. Maison Marianne is focusing on designing products for today’s health-conscious consumers looking for high-end healthy indulgence.

OWN IT!

Finally, a lot of consumers seem to be happy with chocolate just the way it is, in all its sweet, fatty, sinful goodness! After all, chocolate does contain several bioactive compounds that have mood-boosting properties. 

The same, but smaller

Healthier chocolate doesn’t have to always mean reformulating the product. Sometimes, it’s just about how much you eat. Smaller packs have become a mainstay of rising food inflation, but they are also appealing to younger consumers who are looking for the OG indulgences, just slightly moderated.

In 2024, 84% of Mondelēz’s net revenue was from its Mindful Portion Snacks – snacks that are in individually wrapped serving sizes or with a clear serving recommendation on pack.

This ties in very nicely with how a lot of people today see indulgence as part of a healthy, balanced diet and general well-being, making portion control an integral part of strategy. 

According to FMCG Gurus, 

• 45% of global consumers associated balanced diet with variety, which includes indulgent foods as an integral part of overall wellness 

• 58% saw indulgence as a means of self-care

• 65% said that they sought out small indulgences at least some of the time for self-care

It’s become clear that if your chocolate or candy doesn't do something for the consumer – besides taste great – it might soon be left on the shelf. Because healthy indulgence isn’t an oxymoron anymore.

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