Here are a few nibbles to get you through the day based on the three hours or so that I’ve been here so far.
Mars made a surprising and pleasant announcement this morning, they have come out in support of the current standards of identity for chocolate. That means that no matter what the FDA decides, they will not dilute our sacred chocolate experience with cheap vegetable fats.
Word on the floor is that the FDA got over 35,000 responses, most in support of keeping our chocolate real (very few addressing the other aspects of the food standards). The rumor (and I haven’t gotten confirmation on this) is that the FDA is now rejecting the chocolate portion of the standards change.
Mars is introducing some other new items, including some Crispy Mint M&Ms as a tie in to the new Indiana Jones movie, though those won’t be out for a while. They also have some Wildly Cherry M&Ms, which are rather like the Razzberry ones. I kinda liked them, they’re you know, cherry and chocolate. Snickers is also introducing the Snickers Nut’n Butter Crunch. I’ve got no clue what that is, but you can expect it in stores in November.
I stopped by the Storck (they have several product lines including Chocolate Riesen, Merci and Werther’s Originals) booth and saw the new Sour Mambas. Awesome ... not too sour, just juicy and flavorful. I’ve only tried the lemon, but I’m really intrigued.
I stopped by the Hleks booth, they’re a Turkish confectionery company that makes carbonated candy (which I preferred to Pop Rocks). They have some new products including something called Chocolate Poppers, the size of M&Ms they’re milk chocolate with popping candy in it. There are several version, I’m excited to try them all.
Terra Nostra Organic has some awesome new pocket chocolate bars, they’re only 1.5 ounces, so they’re a good single portion instead of the 3.5 ounce tablets. One is called Pomegranate Truffle that has a dark, sweet and tangy caramelly center inside 60% dark chocolate. All organic and Kosher, plus no milk products in it!
I’ll have more later, but I have to say the new venue is really great. It’s spacious and well organized and of course brand spankin’ new. I’m having some connectivity problems at the hotel, so I don’t know how well I’m going to be able to do updates. But I’ll be posting photos from the floor as often as I can.
Oh PLEASE let the rumors be true!
And I hope the Wildly Cherry M&M’s are better than the Razzberry ones. I wasn’t very impressed (though my fried enjoyed them).
Oh, and I’m horribly jealous of you ACE-attending.
Did you try the Reese’s Whipps yet? I haven’t broken into mine yet (I want to make sure I get another before I do), but I’m really excited for it.
Also, the panel from 8-9 today about consumer trends was really interesting, if you didn’t make it.
william - I think you’ll like the Wild Cherry. I poked around looking for white chocolate ... no dice. I’ll ask though!
Ginny - I did try the Reese’s Whipps ... it’s interesting. Rather tasty, not really a lo cal snack though like they’re promoting it, oddly enough.
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