Alyse Thompson

No Everyday & Summer Seasonal event would be complete without the Buyer’s Choice Awards, sponsored by Candy Industry Magazine and ECRM. Participating candy companies submitted new products for retail buyers to taste. The buyers also voted for their favorite in each of three categories: Chocolate, Non-Chocolate and Novelty.

Fortunately, the participating sellers, buyers and I won’t be the only people to benefit from the three-day ECRM show. At the end of the event, 300 boxes of unspoken-for candy were donated to Boo at the Zoo, an annual fundraiser hosted by the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans and the nearby Audubon Zoo.

The employees, represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 6 (BCTWGM), have been working under contract terms that expired in June. Wages, health insurance and pensions are among employees’ concerns.

The announcement, made Wednesday at Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference,  comes a week after the Illinois-based snack and confectionery giant halted discussions with The Hershey Co. about acquiring the company.

Gearharts Chocolates has tapped East Coast spirits producers to put a twist on its line of holiday confections.

Label Insight says 73 percent of 2,021 consumers surveyed would pay a premium for products that offer complete transparency in a variety of areas, including certifications, ingredients lists, nutritional breakdowns, allergens lists, and information on how products are sourced, produced and handled.

Molly Cook, who also took home the People’s Choice Award, competed against 19 other chocolatiers, including Norman Love Confections Chef Chris Botterman.

Philip E. Heide, ceo and president of Henry Heide, Inc., manufacturer of Jujubes and Jujyfruits, passed away Tuesday at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, N.Y. after a long battle with melanoma. He was 75.

Tastykakes puts a fall spin on the classic Kandy Kakes.