Prepared Foods showcases new chocolate, confection and candy products making a debut in 2020.

SmartSweets, Vancouver, B.C., unwrapped its sixth candy innovation with Sweet Chews, low-sugar and plant-based chews.

Developed without the use of added sugars, sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners, each 1.6oz. bag of Sweet Chews contains 10g of fiber and 3g of sugar. The individually-wrapped chews come in three flavors: Mango, Strawberry, and Watermelon.

“Since day one of recipe testing in my kitchen, I have been passionate about creating radically better choices to traditional candy that taste just as delicious as the candy we’ve all grown to know and love-without all the sugar,” said Tara Bosch, CEO and founder of SmartSweets.

Sweet Chews are available for purchase on smartsweets.com. Each 1.6oz. bag retails at $3.29 and 12-pouch cartons for $39.48. Sweet Chews expands SmartSweets’ full collection of candy, which includes Fruity Gummy Bears, Sour Gummy Bears, Sour Blast Buddies, Sweet Fish and Peach Rings.

AWARD WINNER, NATURAL FLAVORS & COLORS

Albanese Ultimate 8 Flavor Gummi Bears won a 2020 NEXTY Consumer Choice Award for Food and Beverage, sponsored by New Hope Media (Informa Markets) and Sampler.

Made with natural colors and flavors, the assortment includes Alphonso Mango, Amity Raspberry, Asian Pear, Black Currant, Blood Orange, Crimson Cranberry, Fuji Apple and Queen Pineapple flavors.

“The Ultimate 8 Flavor Gummi Bears really take flavors to the ultimate level,” says family member Dominique Albanese. “The variety of unique real fruit flavors give your palate the experience of biting into the actual fruit. From the skin on the outside, to the juicy flesh on the inside, your taste buds will be begging for the next flavor.”

Developing the Ultimate 8 Flavor Gummi Bears was a nine-year project, the company says. At the core was a commitment to fruit flavored gummies made from natural flavors and colors from real fruits and vegetables.

NEW BARS' ADDRESS "WHITE SPACE" OPPORTUNITY

Lily’s Sweets, Boulder, Colo., introduced a line of three white chocolate bars featuring 2g of sugar per serving.

The new white chocolate bars are made with non-GMO ingredients and are available in three varieties:

White Chocolate Style Original, White Chocolate Style Cookies & Crème and a White Chocolate Style Birthday Cake Bar.

Earlier, Lily’s Sweets greeted 2020 with nine new products in Whole Foods Market, with other retailers to follow later. Offerings included three new Chocolate Bars, Two-Pack Peanut Butter Cups, Chocolate Covered Caramels, and Chocolate Caramel Popcorn. All new items have less than 1g of sugar per serving.

The new offerings include Milk Chocolate Style and Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels with less than 1g sugar per serving. New 2.8oz chocolate bars come in three varieties: a Hazelnut (40% milk chocolate style bar) Salted Caramel (a 70% dark chocolate bar) and Dark Chocolate (a 92% dark chocolate bar). Other new confections include Two-Pack Dark Chocolate and Milk Chocolate Style Peanut Butter Cups.

Candid Holdings LLC, New York, N.Y., introduced NOONS, a whole-plant, lower-sugar chocolate product. Officials say the chocolate snacks are made from organic ingredients including tropical fruits and superfoods—with no emulsifiers, unnatural sweeteners or added cane sugar.

The company’s first four flavors are Pineapple & Coconut, Banana & Nibs, Golden Berry Turmeric & Mango, and Mango & Cinnamon.

“NOONS are meant to be healthier, ‘snackier’ and more fun. If customers want to dig deeper and learn about our mission, they’ll find that Candid supports regenerative agroforestry and ethical trade. But if they just want a delicious chocolate snack, that’s fine, too,” says Candid CEO Chris Kajander.

KETO BRAND ADDS CANDY OFFERING

ChocZero Inc., Fullerton, Calif., expanded its namesake, sugar-free line of keto friendly products with a new white chocolate peanut butter cup.

“Available in milk, dark, and white chocolate, these cups are free of sugar, soy and palm oil,” the company says. “ChocZero uses its innovative all-natural, sugar alcohol-free monk fruit to create a peanut butter cup that tastes as good as the classic you remember—without any of the guilt.”

Founded in 2016, ChocZero has a broad and growing ketofriendly line and more than 300,000 social media followers, the company says. In addition to peanut butter cups, it offers chocolate squares and bark snacking products. It also offers a range of sweet sugar-free syrups and chocolate chips.

“When it comes to ingredients, ChocZero will never sacrifice the quality,” officials say. “It ethically sources its cocoa beans that are some of South America’s finest and also uses real Madagascar vanilla beans. Most notably, it refuses to use artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols—instead relying solely on monk fruit for a sweet without the aftertaste most sugarfree products carry.”

Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cups carry a suggested retail price of $5.99 for six cups. They’re available at Amazon, or at the ChocZero website: www.choczero.com.