Sweets in Circles - Sustainable innovations for the confectionery industry

The human receptors love sweets. That hasn’t changed until today. But in addition to enjoyment, other product features such as nutritional values, sustainability and health are increasingly determining the purchase decision. Offers such as more flavorful snacks for the elderly, snacks with a lower salt content for people with high blood pressure or low-sugar treats for diabetics are very popular and are being developed at an ever faster pace.

When the world went into lockdown at the beginning of 2020, a well-known instant soup manufacturer suddenly offered its customers “immune soups”. In three different flavors, the finished product enriched with vitamin B12 was on the market for a few months. Whether it’s edible packaging made from algae, plastic-free chewing gum or sweet nibbles from previously unused fruit peels, the ideas are as delicious as they are contemporary. The question of how sustainable and health-promoting sweets can be will become even more important in the future.

Because of optimized process steps with the help of digital systems in the food producing industry, even small manufacturers far from mass production can be profitable. In the food sector in particular, many start-ups use social media platforms to launch their products before they are available in the markets. With just a few clicks, the “online community” can get informations about suppliers or company founders or take a look at the packaging design process.

With a view to climate change, the confectionery manufacturers are also faced with developments towards a circular economy. The drastic reduction of the CO₂ footprint and climate-friendly action in all processes will be the focus of entrepreneurial activity in the next decade. In their lecture “Sweets in Circles” Hon. Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters and Diana Drewes talk about sustainable solutions for confectionery with high nutritional values, recyclable packaging and future raw materials.

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