Happy Christmas to all across the global confectionery industry
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Here’s wishing all our friends, colleagues and contacts right across the confectionery, snacks and bakery world a very happy Christmas for all those celebrating, with sweet treats set to form a major element of family gatherings around the world, writes Neill Barston.
The winter holidays remain of major significance for the industry, and count as the major cornerstone of manufacturing occasions in many locations around the world, sitting alongside Halloween and Easter as the key biggest moments in the sector’s annual calendar.
Notably, the German confectionery industry produced around 167 million chocolate Santa Clauses and Santa Clauses for the Christmas season this year. This is the result of a current survey by the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry (BDSI) among its member companies. This is a slight decrease of 1% compared to the previous year.
“In difficult and uncertain times, it becomes clear that confectionery is one of the little joys of everyday life. This is especially true for the popular chocolate Santas, who bring a lot of joy on the upcoming St. Nicholas Day and Christmas,” says Dr. Carsten Bernoth, General Manager of the BDSI.
More and more of the sweet hollow figures contain cocoa certified according to sustainability standards. In 2022, the proportion of certified cocoa in confectionery sold in Germany was 81%, according to a survey by the BDSI among its member companies. In the first survey in 2011, this proportion was around 3%.