Chocolate & Candy Are Different From Other Foods
Chocolate and candy sweeten our memories and bring us closer to each other. To help consumers choose the right treat for any occasion, chocolate and candy companies are offering more variety in pack sizes and portion options than ever before – all while reminding consumers that candy is a treat and not a meal replacement. As a result of industry alignment around Always A Treat, chocolate and candy companies are helping consumers manage their intake of calories and added sugar while still enjoying fun and unique confectionery products.
Consumer Snapshot
People in the U.S. enjoy chocolate and candy:
2-3x
per week
averaging just
40 calories
and about
1 teaspoon
of added sugar per day.
2-3x
per week
averaging just
40 calories
and about
1 teaspoon
of added sugar per day.
94%
believe that it is fine to occasionally have a piece of chocolate or candy.
89%
expect there to be sugar in chocolate and candy.
89%
believe that physical health and emotional well-being are interconnected.
79%
agree that candy can be part of a balanced diet.
Georgetown University Report on Ultra-Processed Foods
A 2024 Georgetown University white paper on ultra-processed foods found that candy behaves differently from other indulgent products.
“Our findings reveal that chocolate and candy do not behave the same as other ultra-processed indulgent products for two reasons: they contribute fewer calories and added sugars, plus the amounts consumed are significantly lower.”
Source: Georgetown University White Paper, “New Consumer Insights On Ultra-Processed Indulgent Foods” (September 2024)
Key Findings Include:
Consumers self-regulate chocolate and candy by choosing small portion options and exercising portion control in a manner that they do not follow with other foods.
Among indulgent foods, candy contributes the least to caloric, added sugar, and food quantity intake. In fact, Americans consumed more pounds per capita of sweet baked goods and savory snacks than of chocolate and candy.
Understanding How People Interact with Chocolate & Candy
NMI’s proprietary consumer segmentation groups Americans into five distinct lifestyle segments. All types of consumers understand that candy is a treat, and they appreciate the unique role that chocolate and candy play in a balanced diet.
| Well Beings® |
Fence Sitters® |
Food Actives® |
Magic Bullets® |
Eat, Drink, & Be Merrys® |
|
| Percentage of U.S. Population | 28% | 26% | 12% | 22% | 12% |
| PURCHASE INDEX (100 = AVERAGE FOR GENERAL POPULATION) | |||||
| Total Candy | 101 | 107 | 103 | 100 | 83 |
| Chocolate | 106 | 108 | 100 | 101 | 78 |
| Non-Chocolate | 98 | 116 | 99 | 103 | 87 |
American consumers have a unique mindset when they enjoy chocolate and candy that is not present when interacting with other foods.
Chocolate and candy are treats and not meal replacements or center-of-the-plate foods. While candy is a small part of our diet, it is a big part of our lives.