LONDON – The recession has not put a damper on consumers’ love affair with chocolate, Marketing Daily reports. While 2009 final numbers are not available yet, Mintel has found that sales of chocolate continued to be vigorous both in the United States and around the world, including nations not known for candy consumption, such as China, India and the Ukraine.
“While there are plenty of opportunities to trade down in many other categories -- for example, people who like to buy fine wine in restaurants can now drink slightly less fine wine at home -- the only cure for a chocolate craving is chocolate,” said Mintel analyst Marcia Mogelonsky. “There’s no room for maneuvering.”
American appetite for upscale chocolate has fueled the growth, even though those candies cost more. “In the U.S, people are about evenly divided in their preference for either milk or dark chocolate. If you love dark, trading down to milk chocolate isn’t an option for you -- your only choice is to go without,” she said. “Compared to other things, chocolate -- especially in small quantities -- just isn’t that expensive.”
On a dollar basis, the Swiss still top the world in chocolate spending, shelling out the equivalent of $206 per person annually. British citizens come in second place at $106, followed by Belgians at $90. Americans allocate around $55 annually for chocolate.