The Sweet Story of Confectionery

When it comes to confectionery, it would be fair to say that the sweet tooth trends of the consumer are changing rapidly. Especially within the 'western world' many are turning to lower sugar or zero refined sugar options, with artificial colours and flavours being a no go, producers are turning to healthier, natural and organic options.

Why do we love sugary treats?

Sugar is said to increase serotonin within the brain as well as beta-endorphins (the receptors that act as a pain killer) so it is no wonder that people love to eat sweet treats and get a slight warming buzz from them. There is something within natural sugar that sparks our interest also, the type found in the nectar of the Gods (Honey) or that which occur in fruit is said to be the 'better option' for us, naturally occurring and unrefined. Even our ancestors from millions of years ago are said to have binged on sugary fruits and honey, much in the same way that the great apes of our planet today gorge on fruits high in the trees and fashion tools to reach bee hives.

Good Old Fashioned Way

But what about the good old fashioned sweets? The ones not as old as the first homo sapiens (no where near) but old enough to be a childhood memory of those members in their latter years. Well it is fair to say that old school contenders are still very much in the hearts of the child within, for many generations. Britain's top 10 favourites include Jelly Babies (originally called the 'Unclaimed Babies' back in 1864, when an Austrian immigrant worker came up with the idea, after mis shaped wine gums were coming down the production line) Liquorice Allsorts (which have a taste, love/hate relationship with the consumer due to the aniseed twang) and Wine Gums (now owned by Maynards Bassetts who have had an ingeniously creative string of ad campaigns back in 2016), to name but three examples.

With expectations so high and big names to uphold the quality of confections has never been so important.

Quality Sweets

We have all experienced at one point, tucking into a packet of your favourite sweets to discover miss-shapes, odd sizes, strange colours, excess starch, incorrect sweets, unwrapped chocolates or simply too many of your most disliked colour in one pack. Although an annoyance, and definitely not 'brand standard' these complaints could be considered minor issues in the grand scheme of things compared to real safety issues.

When it comes to safety, this is no laughing matter, especially as the largest consumer of sweets is children. Precautions have to be put in place and companies are going above and beyond to ensure both quality and optimal safety for their products. Contaminants that have been recorded have included nuts/bolts from processing machinery, parts of the plastic mould that have come away, insects and other foreign material such as metal and wood.

Fortunately innovative engineering in machinery has an answer.

When it comes to sorting sweets and quality inspection, technology is changing rapidly. Due to a higher global demand and companies having to keep up, automation is beginning to filter through to the confectionery sector. Instead of meticulously handpicking each imperfection and oddity, machines can now do this, faster and with higher precision.

Improvements in the speed of computer processing, ultra high definition cameras, with 360° vision and LED lighting, allows for each individual sweet to be fully inspected at the high speeds expected for a modern production line. Up to two tonnes of sweets can flow through the machine per hour, quality inspection and control has never been so fast and most importantly...safe!

To see the process of optimal sorting and inspection in action, click here!

Thanks for reading,

J