April 25, 2025 – Sugar confectionery and gum across the globe are considered as sources of joy and indulgence. Consumers prefer these products for their ability to satisfy cravings, uplift moods, and offer moments of enjoyment. Innova’s 360 research into the evolving sugar confectionery industry highlights consumer insights, top brands, flavors, launches and what is likely to develop in the future.
Consumer Preferences
4 in 10 consumers across globe purchased sugar confectionery in the past year, with Gen Z and Millennials increasing their consumption. Consumers with younger children under 12 are more likely to purchase these products than those with older children or no children at all. The top reasons for their consumption are taste preference, novelty, and lifestyle.
Sugar confectionery trends reveal that half of consumers consume chewing gum at least once a week, with hard candies and gummies/jellies displaying increase in consumption. Product safety claims significantly influence their purchasing decision, followed by real ingredients, no artificial colors/flavors, and reduced sugar content.
Sugar Confectionery and Gum Market
The global sugar confectionery market is expected to grow at 3% and 2% in value and volume by 2027. Subcategories like gummies and jellies, hard candies, and toffee and fudge show slow yet steady growth in market value. Asia leads the global sugar confectionery market, followed by West Europe and North America. Africa and Asia are forecasted to over-index the global average in value, while Africa, Australasia, East Europe, and Middle East to over-index global volume average during the same period. Romania has the highest per capita sugar confectionery consumption, double the rate of any other country. In the gum segment, Slovenia and Finland leads in per capita consumption.
Top Companies and Brands
Perfetti Van Melle, Haribo, and Mondelēz are leading innovators in the fragmented sugar confectionery market. Private labels contribute more to global launches than the top innovators over the past five years.
Mondelēz top brands include Sour Patch Kids, Clorets, Halls, Maynards Bassetts, and Stride. Their innovations include introducing Sour Patch Kids flavors to Oreo cookies and Oreo flavors to candy canes in the past year. Their strategic approach ensures that consumers can enjoy every snack, such as chocolates, biscuits, and baked snacks, in a mindful way.
Product Launch Trends
Sugar confectionery launches outpace total food and beverage launches but show signs of slowdown in the past year. Gummies/jellies are the largest segment displaying steady contribution to confectionery launches over the past five years. Lollipops display the highest growth, while gum launches have slightly outpaced total sugar confectionery in the past year.
Positionings and Claims
Brands are positioning themselves with passive health, active health, seasonal or limited edition, and ethical claims. Vegan claims doubled over the past year, now nearly equaling vegetarian claims in launches. Palm oil-free and plant-based are emerging in passive health claim launches. Among active health claims, gluten-free, no additives/preservatives, and sugar-free claims lead, with gluten-free contributing to 16% of sugar confectionery launches. Emerging health claims include prebiotic, probiotic, vitamin and mineral fortified. In Ethical claims, environment related claims display growth, while human related claims stay the same in the past year.
Consumers interest in variety and new products drives seasonal and limited edition growth, which accounts for 15% of sugar confectionery launches in the past year. Notable launches include Bilou’s Wednesday Kaugummi.
Flavor Trends in Sugar Confectionery Trends
Globally, 43% of consumers seek unique and indulgent creations, craving wildly inventive flavors. Sugar confectionery brands meet these expectations with seasonal and limited-edition flavors, aligning with Innova’s “Flavors: Wildly Inventive” food trend, which highlights craving for extraordinary experience, driving companies to create surprising mash-ups and flavors that attract and delight.
Fruit flavors lead, appearing in more than half of sugar confectionery launches over the past year. Other prominent flavors are brown, mint and menthol, and dessert. Sugar confectionery trends show that strawberry and green apple flavors are growing flavors, while emerging flavors include spicy and sweet, natural fruit, veg, and floral.
What’s Next in Sugar Confectionery and Gum Trends?
The sugar confectionery and gum market are evolving as consumers increasingly seek to balance indulgence with health-conscious choices. They also continue to seek out unique flavors and textures, alongside options that align with health and environmental concerns.
Brands can introduce vegan or plant-based options and experiment with natural sweeteners to appeal to health-conscious consumers. Incorporating ingredients like vitamins, polyphenols, or prebiotics can boost the perception of health benefits. Limited edition flavors and seasonal offerings can spark excitement and encourage an increase in consumption for consumers seeking variety.
For a more sustainable approach, brands can explore palm oil-free formulations and packaging innovations. Products catering to Generation Z, Millennials, and families with young children can drive sales growth, as these groups consume high confectionery products. By combining health, creativity, and sustainability, they can evolve alongside changing consumer expectations and maintain relevance in this competitive market.
This article is based on Innova’s Sugar Confectionery & Gum – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
