Consumer Research Technical Information Trends: Confections Trends: Baking & Snack Trends: Foodservice Trends: Ice Cream Usage Tips

American palates are shifting toward more exotic flavors.¹  As palates become more sophisticated, the demand for more premium, upscale confections continues to increase. When it comes to quality confections, hazelnuts are a natural partner.

The Lovable, Healthy Nut
The Hazelnut Council’s 2008 research found that 90 percent of consumers who have tried hazelnuts like them.²  Its unique taste, combined with health benefits, means hazelnut confections offer guilt-free indulgence.

As consumers seek meals and snacks incorporating functional foods such as nuts, the trend is carrying over to sweet treats and desserts. Compared with other nuts, hazelnuts are among the lowest in saturated fat and among the highest in heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. Hazelnuts are also an excellent source of vitamin E. They are a good way to boost protein content without significantly raising carbohydrates, and they provide folate and a variety of important antioxidants. Not to mention that tree nuts now have an FDA-approved claim for heart health. Who said sweets can’t be good for you?

Give Them Chocolate
Premium chocolate – especially dark chocolate, which offers its own health benefits in flavanols and antioxidants – is as popular as ever, and sales are predicted to grow substantially by 2011.³  Fifty-eight percent of chocolate lovers still favor nut varieties, but 68 percent of today’s chocolate consumers are eager to try new flavors. Though hazelnuts are debuting in more chocolate confections, it is still a new, exotic flavor to many consumers. The Hazelnut Council found that 76 percent of consumers are likely to purchase a new hazelnut product with a unique or exotic flavor, making hazelnuts an ideal ingredient in new chocolate treats.² 

Judging Confections by their Covers
Labels – even on confections – are important. Consumers are increasingly aware of natural and functional ingredients, and many care about the product origin. Premium chocolate with high cacao content often displays the cacao percentage on the label to attract health-oriented shoppers with sweet tooths. Eighty-six percent of consumers would try a hazelnut product if its health claims were printed on the package.²  When it comes to source, 83 percent of consumers are interested in the nut’s origin, making Oregon or Turkish hazelnuts the perfect choice for consumers seeking a domestic or international flavor.