Does better-for-you confectionery have a future?

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Chocolate bars, bags of sweets, candy treats. They’re not the first things that spring to mind when we think about healthy eating – but today, more and more indulgent treats are designed to support your health. 

The better-for-you (BFY) confectionery segment has been gaining momentum since around 2018, and growth accelerated during the five year period up to 2023. 

In February 2021, American confectionery giant Hershey announced a dedicated strategy to lead the growth of the BFY category over the next ten years, with four key strategic principles:

1. Core brand innovation – with BFY lines specifically designed to test and promote the value of these products and grow sales.
2. Partnerships – connecting with existing BFY brands to co-develop new ideas and offerings.
3. R&D – investing in startups and research initiatives that aim to test and prove BFY ingredients and innovations.
4. M&A – acquiring BFY confectionery brands that are a strong strategic fit for Hershey’s portfolio, to anchor the company’s growth in this segment. 

Hershey’s strategic focus on BFY development is a sign of broader industry development. Consumers want sweet options that make them feel good, or that meet their specific needs – for example, if they have health conditions or diet requirements that make conventional confectionery unsuitable for them. 

So better-for-you confectionery is becoming an exciting development space in F&B. 

Confectionery innovators are working with different dietary needs 

Harken Sweets is a candy bar brand launched in 2022 by Katie Lefkowitz. In a recent interview with Food Dive, Katie explained that a medical diagnosis turned her world upside down – and inspired her to create a confectionery bar that people like herself could eat safely and confidently. 

Harken Sweets’ bars are 150 calories or less, and made from 100% plant-based ingredients with no added sugar. Formulated with superfood ingredients, they contain as much fibre as five cups of kale. 

In 2024, Katie secured a retail deal with Walmart – and will be launching into 3,500 Walmart stores across the US. 

Superfood sweets have become widely available 

Just a few years back, superfood treats were largely the preserve of social media influencers. On Instagram and TikTok, food influencers shared their recipes for superfood protein balls that look and taste like chocolate truffles, and cereal bars that are just like eating cake. 

In the UK, Deliciously Ella and Sarah Britton (My New Roots) were two of the influencers spearheading the trend. Followers would conscientiously follow their (sometimes complex) instructions to create nutritious, plant-based, superfood treats at home. 

But as these treats became more popular, markets caught onto the reality that they’d be even more popular (and lucrative) if they could be produced for retail. Today, the Deliciously Ella brand has more than 100 nutrition-focused food products in UK supermarkets; ranging from breakfast cereal bars to chocolate-covered nuts, and superfood protein balls. 

A quick Google search for superfood sweets now turns up a wide variety of results. From sugar free sweets to ‘super fuel’ bites, you can purchase BFY confectionery and have it delivered to your door today – without the fuss of sourcing different ingredients and following complicated recipes and processing instructions in your own kitchen. 

Better-for-you sweets will become tastier, healthier, and more readily available

Looking to the future, the potential for BFY confectionery looks promising. Consumer demand, driven by health awareness and concerns including obesity and diabetes, is driving F&B brands to create and iterate BFY products. 

Taste expectations are heightening all the time, so manufacturers are working to create BFY products that are just as satisfying as conventional, less healthy confectionery – so BFY consumers don’t have to sacrifice flavour and texture for health-supportive ingredients. 

Brands that can meet those taste expectations while delivering on health claims have strong potential for growth in this market. 

Does BFY taste as good? 

We want to know what you think. Do BFY sweet products taste as good – and could you be persuaded to ditch your conventional treats for a healthier version?

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