CHICAGO, May 13 (UPI) -- Candy ain't just for kids anymore.
The All Candy Expo, the largest candy trade show of the year, is rife with sugar-free candies -- especially chocolates -- as well as caffeine-laced sweets to keep the sleep-deprived hopping.
"There's an interest in sugar-free because of the popularity of low-carb, low-sugar diets," said Susan Fussell, director of the National Confectionery Association. She said that candy contributes just a small percentage of calories in the average diet. "Most nutritionists agree there's a place for candy in a healthy, active lifestyle. It all depends on the amount of exercise."
Perhaps the best example of the push for no- or low-calorie treats is Hollywood Manufacturing Corp.'s dessert sprays. They come in chocolate, cherry cheesecake, chocolate mint and wedding cake. Just a spritz and a craving is satisfied.
Another trend evident at the giant candy store is a blurring of the category between baked goods and confectionery items. Witness the Nestle Tollhouse candy bar -- a very rich confection that's soft and chewy. It comes in both cookie and brownie versions but won't be in stores until September.
Novelty items also are big, including finger-puppet lollipops, candy necklaces that come with working lipsticks and candy paint.
"It gives new meaning to playing with your food," Fussell quipped. "These are definitely candies that appeal to kids. Why not? It combines two of their favorite things -- candy and toys."
Just to prove there's really an adult component to the industry -- and we're not talking fancy chocolates here -- Tom & Sally's Handmade Chocolates of Brattleboro, Vt., introduced a candy paint that allows one to create works of body art and then lick ... maybe we won't go there. The company also makes candy tattoos.
For the sleep-deprived, GumRunners LLC of Hackensack, N.J., and Chilton Labs of Fairfield, N.J., rolled out caffeine-laced gum and candy, respectively.
GumRunner's Lawrence Malloy was pushing samples of Jolt gum as people walked by the company's booth.
"People want more energy," he said. "We actually think of this as a safety product. You can't spill this like a cup of coffee while you're driving. What's the first thing you do when you spill? You look down. Next thing you know, crash!"
Chilton Labs said its Enerjets was just locally distributed for years but after half a century, the company is ready to go national. Enerjets is a coffee-based lozenge so the caffeine gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream.
For the jungle gym set, sour is still big.
"Kids love sour," said Jim Haas of the Foreign Candy Co. "I was raised on chocolate bars. Kids don't want that. They see chocolate bars as a yuppie, adult item. Sour is where it's at."
Last year, 1,401 new candy items were introduced -- 639 chocolate, 649 non-chocolate, 72 gums and 50 that weren't classified. Sales were up 1.5 percent.
"That's certainly modest but for a mature category like candy, it's a good growth rate," Fussell said.
Among the other products being introduced at this year's show:
-- Mom 'N Pops Inc.'s Sweet Images Fotopops, edible business cards in white chocolate that mirror a real business card and edible photos.
-- Impact Confections Inc.'s lollipops shaped like a light bulb. Twist them and the attached glow stick lights up.
-- Ludo LLC's Original Candy Bubbles, which looks like a regular bottle of soap bubbles with wand. Swish the wand, blow the bubble and then catch it on your tongue. There are two flavors, grape and cherry.
-- The Topps Co. Inc.'s kit that allows children to create their own candy. The Baby Bottle Pop Workshop comes with six packets of different-flavored and colored powders, a funnel, design stick, stickers and an instruction sheet. The candy is layered in a miniature bottle. There's also a liquid candy version.
-- Cadbury Adams USA LLC's new twist on Dentyne, called Fire Gum, a breath-freshening hot cinnamon version of the old standby. It comes in pellets rather than pieces.
-- Jelly Belly has decided to get into the gumball business. While most gumballs put unique flavors only into the shell, Jelly Belly flavors the gum itself with the same flavor as the shell.
The trade show opened Tuesday and runs through Thursday at McCormick Place. It is not open to the public.
