Among the Halloween treats (and tricks), candy is confirmed as the absolute protagonist: excellent news for the business of Italian producers, who now rely every year on the consumption of their specialities (specific and not) on the occasion of this festival of Anglo-Saxon origins, which has inexorably conquered the whole world. According to an elaboration by Unione Italiana Food on Niq data, in October sales grew by 13% compared to the monthly average, for a value of over 55 million euro. A small but important slice in a total business that, according to Confesercenti, is worth 1.1 billion.
Sweets are the most consumed confectionery product during the ‘night of the witches’, which is celebrated by some 11 million Italians on 31 October: they account for 65 per cent of the sweets delivered and eaten by the ‘monstrous and menacing’ children who show up at the door of Italians, surpassing chocolates (56 per cent), snacks (38 per cent) and biscuits (32 per cent).
Overall, the candy sector in 2024 reached a value of more than 586 million euro, equal to 56 million kg of candies sold, ‘a result that demonstrates substantial resilience at a time of clear and widespread consumer difficulties’, commented Unione Italiana Food.
It is ‘an avant-garde sector capable of intercepting the tastes of modern consumers, including young people, by proposing new products and flavours’. Suffice it to say, as Uif recalls, ‘that every year an average of 10-15 new sweets are launched on the market, with around 35-40 recipes created. Products with different flavours or formats, recipes with revised ingredients, up to genuine new concepts’
“Candy is a product with a centuries-old history, but with a constant ability to look to the future,” says Luigi Serra, producer and spokesperson for the ‘Piacere, Caramelle’ project. Every day, confectionery companies work to find the perfect taste and new flavour combinations that can indulge the pleasure of trying this product. The latest innovative trends have concerned, in particular,sugar-free candies and especially nutraceuticals, which are able to combine taste and benefits for people’s well-being, as they contain nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and probiotics in concentrated doses to support the body’s physiological functions.
Dining and Cooking