Chocolate innovation is tailored to maintaining taste and pleasure while working with simpler ingredients that boast better nutrition composition, according to Taura by IFF. In light of this, the company addresses how consumers are pulled from pillar to post when choosing between indulgence and health.

Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Gwynnie Hagen, category manager of chocolate and confectionery at Taura by IFF, says a few master trends in chocolate all relate back to what the company has coined the “chocolate dilemma.” 

Delivering indulgence 
The “chocolate dilemma” is the challenge of satisfying consumers’ craving for indulgence while also providing healthy solutions and maintaining a great taste. 

“Chocolate is all about indulgence, great taste and eating enjoyment which brings small happy moments. Anything that affects that indulgent expectation will not resonate well with consumers,” she underscores. 

“It can be difficult to create a positive consumer perception around sugar-reduced chocolate. It is still not a mainstream product, wheras sugar-reduced products in other categories have become almost standard.”

“In the end, we find, consumers would rather consume a lesser quantity of what they perceive as great taste and great indulgence vs. consume something seen as less indulgent,” Hagen says.

According to Hagen, bite-sized premium chocolate offerings with great taste and exciting texture are all geared toward the ultimate break, perhaps even combined with subtle hints of functional benefits – relaxation, energy and emotional well-being, she observes. 

Moreover, low sugar is significant but also difficult due to the consumer connotation of lesser taste. 

“Problems to be solved are texture, mouthfeel and taste, but also the bigger picture needs to change. The whole concept around ‘low sugar’ needs to be marketed better: not ‘free from,’ or ‘low,’ but as something beneficial, not a reduction.”  

Permissible indulgence 
According to Taura, until recently, it seemed chocolate manufacturers had only two options to choose from when it came to defining a future strategy. 

“Unashamed and full indulgence would be the choice for the majority, with smaller, more artisan manufacturers promoting the inherent health credentials of cacao and chocolate compounds in ‘raw chocolate’ formats to encourage a heightened sense of well-being.”

Fast forward to today, both strategies continue to thrive, with the chocolate category continuing to grow even amid the global backlash on sugar consumption.

There is a third option on the rise, bridging the gap between indulgent and functional: permissible indulgence. This concept addresses consumer requirements to satisfy the need for indulgent craving and meet their need to eat more healthily. The trend creates new opportunities for brands to innovate around permissible indulgence. 

However, the concept is multi-faceted, says Taura. It allows brands to pair attributes of certain products with healthier ingredients. Even more so, it will enable chocolate producers to capitalize on the use of more sophisticated and indulgent flavors together.

“Connecting the chocolate experience to current consumer trends adds permissibility for the consumer to delight in an indulgent treat every day,” says Hagen.

Societal changes impact chocolate 
Consumer focus is on more health-based ingredients – protein, probiotics and immunity-boosting ingredients.In the past 12 months, Taura has seen the following shift in attention to health and wellness. 

“Consumer focus is on more health-based ingredients – protein, probiotics, immunity-boosting ingredients – while recognizing taste and indulgence always come first,” states Hagen. 

“The biggest change COVID-19 has inflicted is the full re-appreciation of the benefits chocolate has to emotional well-being.”

“In times of worry, stress and solitude, it is the naturally present attributes of chocolate which bring us relief. This works well in combination with soft and delicious healthy halo ingredients like nuts, grains, seeds and fruits,” she outlines. 

Nostalgia is an aspect that has seen how we all go back to what pleased us in the past. 

“By sheer connection to our childhood days, chocolate offers us an ‘escape’ to times and places wher stress levels were different. Good classics and a nostalgic positioning are stronger than ever,” adds Hagen. 

The naturally present benefits of chocolate have been resonating even more in the past 12 months, translated as little rewards and retreats to our own private domain and “me-time.”

During the pandemic restrictions, chocolate kept many consumers going throughout the day, the extra closure at nighttime or a celebration of things well done, she notes. 

Inclusions elevate the experience 
In general, Taura believes that the chocolate consumer is adventurous and curious. “And this is the space wher inclusions like fruit and other ingredients can make all the difference,” Hagen details. 

“It’s about bringing fun, new and exciting flavors, and surprising textures to the market, as long as they are driven by great combinations and taste,” she says. 

Classic chocolate can be re-invented to something still recognizable and familiar yet at the same time new and exciting. “For example, by combining textural inclusions and tasty fruit. One example could be creamy white chocolate pairing crunchy meringue and strawberry, or dark chocolate with golden honeycomb. The possibilities are endless,” she explains. 

Another significant aspect of inclusions, fruit and other ingredients, is that by aiming for a new and different taste experience, the acceptance of lower sugar content in chocolate can be facilitated. 

If the consumer is looking for a spicy, fresh or exciting fruit taste combination, then a less sweet chocolate profile might not be perceived as a loss. 

Bite-sized premium chocolate offerings with great tastes and exciting textures are all geared toward the “ultimate break.”“Think dark chocolate and ginger, or white chocolate with pineapple and curry,” Hagen muses. 

“Luxurious combinations allow traveling through taste: yuzu lemon, tikka masala, mango passion chia or even a cocktail inspired cosmopolitan comes as an orange cranberry combination to dream of evenings spent with friends.”

“There has been significant attention to health benefits, but depending on the brand this could be by going more clean label ingredients. Or, it could mean adding more specific ingredients  with a healthy connotation: acai, acerola, elderberry, chamomile or ancient grains, such as chia, which was recently approved in the EU for use in chocolate.”

Caramel reigns 
Caramel has been in the top three flavors for chocolate and confectionery over the past five years. 

As the lines between sweet, salty, and spicy flavors start to blur, there is room to expand the “caramel flavor horizon” beyond salted, the most popular novel variant. 

Other caramel-compatible ingredients include blood orange, bourbon and rose water, and the popularity of burnt caramel has also been promoted over the past year.