HEALTHY GROWTH IS EXPECTED FOR FORTIFIED LINES

AMITY K. MOORE

Healthy food consumption for many of today's consumers means eating a diet chock full of vitamins and nutrients, as well as foods low in fat, cholesterol and sugar. They're even looking for it in their indulgent treats.

Candy manufacturers have heard the news and have begun formulating "healthy" vitamin- and nutrient-fortified candies to satisfy consumer's protein tastes.

"To add essential vitamins or other necessary nutrients to foods people love to eat is a new trend in a lot of food products, not just candy," said Susan Fussell, public relations manager at the National Confectioners Association, McLean, Va. That makes them "functional foods," she added.

One example she provided was fruit chews that now contain vitamin C. "Beyond being a food that tastes great and that consumers love, it also gives them a certain percentage of their daily recommended [allowance of] vitamin C," Fussell explained.

Sam Anderson, director of public relations at Brookshire Grocery Co., Tyler, Texas, said he has noticed the "antioxidant" candy segment growing, which also falls under the functional/fortified-foods classification.

Some supermarket chains have high expectations for how the introductions will fare in the marketplace.

"It's not a big mix or wide offerings of product right now, but I think it will grow," said David Taylor, director of packaged goods at Ukrop's Super Markets, Richmond, Va. "It's just one of those sub-segments where a lot is going to depend on how the first few items do. And if you get a big winner, then you're going to see a lot of 'me-too's' and knock-offs," he added.

A source from a large Midwestern wholesaler said parents are the logical target for the fortified candies, but anonymous the sweets haven't taken off as quickly as expected because "if a mother is going to buy candy, she will buy what she likes because she gives the kid a piece and eats the rest -- all under the guise of saying it's for her children."

The source added that children generally like the gummy candies. Brach's introduced a line of Hi-C gummies that contain vitamin C, but according to the wholesale representative, "they're not really setting the world on fire.

"It's nice packaging, but [Brach's] hasn't done anything to support it, the source added.