Shop Talk

Check Out Line: More chocolate, less wrinkles

Check out the delicious possibility of fighting aging by eating chocolate.

New studies — albeit from chocolate maker Barry Callebaut — show that eating less than an ounce of a specially-made chocolate each day may help make your skin look younger.

The antioxidant-rich chocolate may help prevent wrinkles, boost elasticity and improve hydration, the company found.  It said that it found a way of preserving the flavanols found in cocoa beans during the chocolate-making process.

“Chocolate and health do not seem to fit together but it is a very interesting proposition: if I can eat something I like and it is good for me, that is great,” Barry Callebaut Chief Innovation Officer Hans Vriens told Reuters in an interview. “Chocolate is probably at the bottom of the list when you think about making food healthier.”

Perhaps this movement could spur sales.  The functional chocolate market including organic and diet chocolate is seeing double-digit growth, easily outpacing 1-2 percent growth in the rest of the chocolate market, according to Kepler Capital Markets analyst Jon Cox.

Chocolate purchases on the rise

While Cadbury’s fate remains foggy, one piece of chocolate news is clear: people continue to satisfy their cravings.

According to Mintel, chocolate sales have risen around the world despite the recession.

Check Out Line: Cadbury a tempting treat

Check out the possible bidding war brewing for British confectioner Cadbury.

U.S. chocolate maker Hershey and Italy’s privately owned Ferrero both said separately they were evaluating their options over a possible bid for Cadbury, the world’s No. 2 confectioner, but analysts still see hostile bidder Kraft’s $16.2 billion offer as the front runner.

Reuters and other media have reported Hershey, known for its namesake chocolates and Reese’s peanut butter cups, and Ferrero were discussing a joint bid and the UK Takeover panel asked the companies to clarify their intentions. They gave no hint whether they may be working together on a joint bid.

from Raw Japan:

The sweet spot

Amid the nagging cavity for consumption created by the global financial crisis, at least one sweet spot has emerged for the world's No.2 economy -- sales of cakes, candies and confections. Ignore turnover of luxury designer items, any kind of car or home, or basically most of Japan's recession-plagued output, and turn instead to sugar by-products, and you'll find the nation deep in a 25-month bon-bon bonanza. Shoppers, not just at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, are waiting 30 minutes or more with a department store rep telling me that since March last year, sweets are the top selling food segment. "There is a line all the time, even on weekdays," said Kayoko Shibata at Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo's upscale Ginza shopping district. "Almost everyday, the shop runs out of stock by late afternoon," she added. Pastry chefs even hooked up with designers to create some outlandish products for a Tokyo candy catwalk last week. What does all this say about the generally bitter consumption slump overall? Perhaps more individuals are now indulging themselves at home, rather than eating out, also cutting down on big ticket spending while finding solace in saccharine or sugary delectables. "Sweets are one way of making time at home more enjoyable," said Takashi Iida, who manages the sweets section at Matsuya department store in Ginza. Photo credit: REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

When the going gets tough, men go for chocolate

Seems like the business men who are dealing with the market fallout may be learning something from the fairer sex when it comes using food to boost their mood.

According to a Brand Keys survey, men are reaching for chocolate bars more frequently these days. Every one of the 750 men in the survey, taken Friday through Sunday, said they were eating more chocolate.

Check Out Line: Inflation crimps consumer companies

By Ben Klayman

Check out how high gas and commodity costs are crimping Hershey and Best Buy.

Chocolate maker Hershey cut its long-term earnings growth target and said it would boost advertising as it moves to reverse falling profits.

However, the largest U.S. chocolate company, which is meeting with analysts, said the pressures it faces — soaring prices for cocoa , energy and other commodities — remain the same.