2026 Candy Market Trends
2026-05-27 16:40
With the upgrading of consumption, traditional foods are becoming increasingly healthier, and candies are also upgrading towards a healthier direction. At present, the entire candy industry is trying to find new breakthroughs in creativity such as functionality, vegetarian nutrition, and sugar reduction, which has become a key trend in the innovation of the candy industry.
Functional sugar
In the candy category, functionality is a promising development direction. Although the market share of functional candies is relatively small at present, their health benefits are still a significant growth point that cannot be ignored.
According to data from the China Academy of Commerce Industry Research, the sales of functional candies in the domestic market have grown significantly, and it is expected that the functional candy market will exceed 8.6 billion yuan by 2022. According to NBJ data, the global sales of functional candies doubled in just four years (2014-2018).
Among functional candies, gummies are particularly popular. According to Tmall's consumption data, in 2020, functional gummies became a rapidly growing consumer form of health products among young groups such as the post-90s and Z-generation. At present, there are gummies on the market that supplement vitamins and minerals, DHA gummies, yeast zinc gummies, probiotic gummies, melatonin gummies, collagen gummies, and other products.
The emergence of functional candies is an extension of traditional candy brands to high-end product categories, and it is a high-level and multi-level demand from consumers for candy products.
sugarless candy
With the increasing demand for health, the trend of "low sugar, no sugar" has emerged, and consumers have also made demands for candy products - not only to be nutritious and healthy, but also to have less sugar.
Against the backdrop of sugar reduction becoming a global trend, the daily demand for traditional candies is gradually decreasing. The report on in-depth market research and investment strategy recommendations for the candy industry from 2019 to 2023 shows that in 2017, China's candy production was 3.31 million tons, a decrease of 6.0% from 3.52 million tons in 2016; In 2018, China's candy production decreased to 2.88 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 13.0%, and the decline rate further increased.
For this reason, many companies have launched sugar free lollipops, such as Dr. Xiong's sugar free lollipop, Three Squirrels and Little Deer Blue Blue Sugar free lollipop, Sugar Cube Sugar free lollipop, etc. The development of sugar free candies is worth looking forward to.
Vegetarian candy
The plant-based proposition is another important consumer trend in the candy market. Data shows that from 2016 to 2020, the compound annual growth rate of candy products claiming to be vegetarian was 17%, while the compound annual growth rate of candy products claiming to be plant-based more than doubled last year.
Candy manufacturers are removing raw materials such as dairy products, gelatin, and blush to meet the growing demand for plant-based products, which are not only seen as healthier but also more ethical and sustainable. For example, the low sugar vegetarian gummies launched by Canadian candy brand Yumy Bear use plant-based ingredients instead of gelatin.
In recent years, with the diversification of consumer health demands, many candy manufacturers have regarded the research and development of new products that meet consumer needs as their top priority, injecting new vitality into the candy market with a continuous stream of innovative products. Riding the "health" train, the candy industry is slowly moving forward.
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