May 28, 2008

Candy companies hoping "functional" health benefits help business

Candy companies are betting that the trend toward healthy foods will extend to their confections - Cadbury, Wrigley and Mars are all launching new gums and candies this summer designed to provide health benefits. The "functional" candy category has grown in 2006, up nearly 2% to $1.5 billion.

For Cadbury - a new gum line called Trident Xtra Care. Its made with recaldent, a form of calcium derived from milk that has been shown to strengthen tooth enamel by filling in crevices where cavities can form. FYI - recaldent is already being used in Trident White (also from Cadbury), but Xtra Care will 2x as much.

For Wrigley - a new line of its Eclipse gum and mints formulated with magnolia bark extract (MBE), a substance that is supposed to help bad breath.

For Mars - two new lines of vitamin-enriched Dove chocolates earlier this year - Dove Vitalize (with vitamin B and plant sterols) and Dove Beautiful (with vitamins C and E, biotin and zinc).

From CNNMoney.com

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