Economics and management in the sphere of ict department: management and marketing

Candies and Sweets: Sugar and Chocolate Confectionery

M.A. Godshall, in Encyclopedia of Food and Health, 2016

Patterns of Consumption

Globally, sugar confectionery accounts for about 39% of candy consumption and chocolate confectionery about 61%. This ratio can vary widely among countries. Confectionery consumption is increasing in countries with a growing middle class, such as Brazil and India, and in countries with traditionally low sugar consumption, such as China and Japan. As populations become more prosperous, chocolate consumption tends to increase. In more developed countries, confectionery consumption shows little growth from year to year and has declined in some nations.
Table 1 shows candy consumption for a few countries on a yearly and daily basis. Northern and Western European countries are the highest consumers of chocolate confectionery in the world.
Table 1. Sugar and chocolate confectionery consumption per capita per year and per capita per day

Country	kg per capita per year			g per capita per day
	Sugar	Chocolate	Total	Sugar	Chocolate	Total
Japan	1.73	2.23	3.96	4.74	6.11	10.85
Brazil	1.83	2.16	3.99	5.01	5.92	10.93
France	3.50	6.50	10.00	9.59	17.81	27.40
The United Kingdom	5.26	10.29	15.55	14.41	28.19	42.60
Germany	5.95	11.60	17.55	16.27	31.78	48.05
The United States	6.15	5.46	11.61	16.85	14.96	31.81
Denmark	8.64	7.65	16.29	23.67	20.96	44.63

In 2013, the global confectionery market was estimated to be worth $171 billion, with chocolate representing $110 billion. US candy sales for the same period were $33.9 billion.

In Asia and Latin America, sugar confectionery tends to predominate. In parts of Asia, less sweet confections are preferred. In Japan, candy must be aesthetically pleasing. Kit Kat bars are wildly popular in Japan, and there is a tradition of constantly introducing new and unusual flavors, such as wasabi, green tea, soy sauce, miso, and sweet potato. Throughout Asia, gummy candies with fruit flavors are preferred.
The Nordic countries are among the top global consumers of confectionery. Sweden has a high consumption of sugar confectionery and Switzerland has the highest chocolate consumption.
In a number of countries (India, China, and Mexico), candies are thought of as mainly for gift-giving occasions or for children. With cultural changes caused by globalization, candy consumption begins to be considered for everyday snacking. Chocolate was traditionally considered an expensive luxury, but with smaller sizes and lower prices, consumption has increased rapidly in Asia and Latin America.
Large spikes in confectionery consumption occur during Easter, Halloween, and Valentine's Day, when confectionary is traditionally gifted. Each holiday has its own set of traditional treats.