Renewed focus on accessible gifting, along with consumers turning to chocolate to lift their spirits and cheer up loved ones during the COVID-19 pandemic, has buoyed the truffles, pralines, filled chocolates category.

Bid-On-Equipment found baked goods to be among the most popular, with doughnuts and pies each earning the top spot in 13 states.

Vegan chocolate is popular among consumers following a flexitarian or vegan diet, as well as consumers with lactose intolerance and other food allergies.

With retailers turning away from bulk bins and office-goers not filling their candy dishes as often, hard candy sales have sagged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

With chewy texture profiles continuing to dominate the sugar confectionery market, the jellies, licorice and chews categories are seeing steady growth.

Ford Gum says its Big League Chew products continue to perform well despite the difficulty the gum category has experienced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

American Licorice Company is leveraging AnswerRocket’s augmented analytics platform for data discovery and automated analysis of its syndicated market data from IRI and SPINS.

The Specialty Food Association reports all food sales, both specialty and non-specialty, grew much faster between 2018 and 2020, a reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on buying, at-home meal preparation, and consumption.

Packaged Facts reports COVID-19 pushed chocolate sales up as consumers turned to comfort foods and extended seasonal and holiday celebrations to cope with the disappointments of the pandemic.