Mac Tonight?.. With Cheese?

 

There's a lot of attention on social media to rail against "stunt food". I would argue that the originator of stunt food has to be the candy industry. It's been decades that this part of the food industry has dared it's customers to go for really silly food combinations and flavours. Strangely this is also the area where I see very few social media posts railing against it. For the most part it seems that people are okay with weird and over the top candy creations, but when it comes to regular food, and even desserts there seems to be a problem. This makes me very happy because I would have nothing to write about on this site if candy companies didn't try new things, and I for one even enjoy the crazy projects that go horribly wrong.

Check out a fairly strange candy concept, and see if it went the way you thought it would.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to keep up with all the other weird treats I come across.

While you're at it, check out my Patreon page for even more weird content.

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I Think Kraft Can Do Better With Their Flavour Boosts, and I'll Prove It

In this candy experiment I take several ingredients and try to make a better Kraft Dinner Flavour Boost, three of them in fact. I make a s'mores, apple pie and peanut butter and banana flavour boost, all of which could be slipped into a packet and sold on shelves.

If you want to see what else I'm up to, make sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter too.

Also be sure to follow me on YouTube if you want to keep up with all my new videos.

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It's Time To Look Back At The Kraft Caramel

In this new episode of In Hindsight I look back at the simple yet classic Kraft Caramel. This is a candy that's been around as long as I can remember. It's nothing special, but it's also very special all at the same time.

Click here to read the review I wrote about it before.

If you have a classic treat that you think I should look at again, let me know on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Also be sure to follow me on YouTube to keep up with all these crazy videos.

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Amazing Candy/Junk Food Things That You Should Buy - A Tub Of Cheese Powder

I think we all underestimate the possibilities one has with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese powder. It's not just for pasta anymore.

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Cadbury Proof - Part 2

Photo by Adam Montpetit www.behance.net/amontpetit

Almost 5 years ago I posted a blog about the purchase of Cadbury by Kraft (You can read it here).  I said in this post that I would save a Dairy Milk wrapper that was purchased when Cadbury wasn't owned by Kraft, then in one year I would compare the bars and see if there were any changes made.  Life got in the way and I wasn't able to write the article in one year.  Then after having moved several times, I lost the wrapper.  However, after having moved again recently, I was going through my file drawer and I came across the Dairy Milk wrapper from almost 5 years ago.  It reminded me that I should check up on how Cadbury/Kraft was doing.  See if they've made any great advancements, as well as check to make sure they're not lowering their standards in any way.

Since I'm not living in Canada right now, the place where I bought the original bar, I had to ask around and see if anybody would be willing to help me out by purchasing and photographing a Dairy Milk bar for me in Canada.  Fortunately my friend Adam (check out his awesome photo website here) was happy to oblige.  Probably both to help, and also to have an excuse to eat some chocolate after his photo shoot.  The first picture on this post is of the current state of the Dairy Milk bar in Canada, the photo directly above is of the wrapper from almost 5 years ago.  The wrapper itself has gone through a bit of updating, but I must say not much.  The two glasses of milk are still there, and the logo is almost exactly the same.  The colour of the package may have changed a bit, but that could also be a lighting thing.  The Dairy Milk font has changed a little, and the biggest change is the addition of the giant chocolate jug.  So far this is fairly promising.

Photo by Adam Montpetit www.behance.net/amontpetit

Upon comparing the ingredients, I'm happy to report that the order that they appear is still the same, and there appears to be little or no change to the ingredients.  This doesn't mean that there is definitely no change at all.  Companies are required to list what ingredients are in a bar, not how much of each ingredient is in a bar.  That means that notionally they could lower the amount of cocoa in the bar, and keep the wrapper the same.  The only reason they would have to change the package is if the change affected the ratio of ingredients.  The ingredients are listed from most found in the bar to the least.  So the amount of cocoa would have to change to the point where there was either less cocoa than soy lecithin, or more cocoa than cocoa butter for a change to be required.

I'm also happy to report that they haven't changed the size of the bar either.  I've traveled around and seen "updated" Dairy Milk bars in the shapes of bubbles, and these bars were a few grams lighter than the Canadian Dairy Milk bar.  I was worried that the folks at Kraft had decided that this "new" shape would be the norm all over the world, and that they would shrink the size of the Dairy Milk bar.  But as the bar Adam purchased shows, 42 grams, is exactly the same weight as the one I purchased several years back. It would appear that Kraft is doing well and leaving this classic bar alone.

While I am very happy about the fact that the Dairy Milk bar hasn't changed in Canada, I'm not completely happy with the way Kraft has dealt with Cadbury products.  I was optimistic when the purchase happened that Kraft would try and make Cadbury products more universal.  I was hoping that they might try and move some Cadbury products into new markets and share the wealth.  Caramello Koalas should be available to everyone around the world, not just Australians, and Crunchy bars should be on every store shelf around the world.  Most importantly Cadbury should be available to my neighbors to the south, the Americans.  As far as I know Cadbury is still a specialty item in the US, and that's a shame.  It's about time Americans knew what great chocolate bars taste like, and maybe add a bit of competition into what I consider one of the weakest in quality of chocolate bar markets.

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This Week In Candy

Last week we were all about potato chips, this week we're going to look at one of our favorite chocolate bar manufacturers, Cadbury.  On Thursday we're posting the second part of our long await look at how the purchase of Cadbury by Kraft has affected the brand.  It was almost 5 years ago when Kraft bought the British company, so lets see if they've improved anything.  This week we're also featuring Cadbury in our Snack Facts feed on Instagram.  Check back daily for a new fun fact about how this company came to be a global powerhouse.  If you're not on Instagram you can also check out the feed on our Twitter, and Facebook feeds as well.

Speaking of Snack Facts, we've decided to try a new format for the feed for this week (and probably next week as well).  If you follow us and you love the new format, let us know, you can also let us know if you hate it as well.  We're also thinking about doing a special edition of Snack Facts in the new year with contributions from anybody that might follow us.  So if you know something interesting about a popular snack or fast food, send us a message.

On top of all of all of this Cadbury insanity, we're also going to start with some of our Christmas/Holiday Seasons stuff.  This week on our "Cool Candy Thing" post we're featuring gingerbread making things.  We're going to continue featuring gingerbread things until the end of Christmas, so strap in.  This week's "Candy In The Media" post features both Cadbury and Christmas.

Finally, in the next few days I'm off on another adventure.  If possible I'll post a few shots of any great snacks I find along the way (Check Facebook or Twitter).  I'll also post a round up of all the cool treats I discovered on this adventure, along with a few photographs, on this blog when I get back.

To go with our Cadbury theme week, this week's review is from one of Cadbury's most famous line of chocolate bars, the Dairy Milk bar.  The Dairy Milk bar rarely if ever completely fails, but some are better than others.  Click here to read our latest Dairy Milk review.

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Canadian Candy List - Part 1 - What I Miss Most

Over the last few years I've been living away from my home country, Canada.  I've been traveling the world exploring all kinds of snack foods, junk foods, and sweets, but my heart is still in Canada.  I'm going to be back home for an extended period, and I've decided to compile various lists on the theme of Canadian candy and snacks.  Each week, for the next several weeks, I'll be posting a different list of Canadian candies I've reviewed in various categories.  Some of these treats may be available in other parts of the world, some are exclusive to the Great White North, but in my mind all of them are Canadian.

Since I'm still not back yet, this is a list of treats that I most miss from my home and native land.  While away I've pined for some of these treats, and even begged friends and family to mail me these treats on occasion (with mixed results).  Since I'm only visiting when I return, I'll be sure to stock up on all of these snacks to keep me going for a while for my next several year long adventure.

The first treat in this list is a really simple treat, a Kraft Caramel.  From what I understand the origins of this candy come from Kraft making a caramel for baking purposes that kids used to love snacking on.  My entire experience with these has been as a penny candy, rather than a baking supply.  Sure this treat is simple, but it works.

Click here to read the Kraft Caramel review.

 I think the thing that makes me most nostalgic for a Crispy Crunch bar is the memories that come with it.  This was my dad's favorite chocolate bar, and I always remember getting a bite or two of his when I was a kid.  Don't get me wrong, this bar has more than nostalgia going for it, it's a tasty bar in its own right.

Click here to read the Crispy Crunch review.

 Maple sugar candies are another nostalgic treat for me.  I remember going to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto, and finding vendors selling these all over the place.  The CNE was a great memory for me, and these, in particular the smell of them, are a big part of that memory.  Although much like the Crispy Crunch bar, these are pretty tasty as well.

Click here to read the Maple Sugar review.

 When I was a kid, the Oh Henry! bar was my bar of choice.  For those Americans reading this, the Oh Henry! bar is most similar to a Baby Ruth, but I think it's a little better.  It seems slightly less sweet than a Baby Ruth, and it has all kinds of childhood memories attached to it.

Click here to read the Oh Henry review.

When I was a kid growing up in Canada our closest neigbours to the South seemed to have everything I wanted.  They had more ice cream, more chocolate bars, and more fast food places.  The one thing that they did lack was a great range in flavours of potato chips.  Canada has always had hundreds of different flavours of chips to choose from, and the strangest one that really has kept on is dill pickle.

Click here to read the Dill Pickle Chip review.

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Junk Fud Podcast Episode 8

Just posted the latest episode of the Junk Fud podcast.  This episode features my good friend Brent, a talented artist living in Japan with his wife and daughter.  Brent while not a huge fan of sweet foods, loves unique snacks, and always has time to sample a new beer.

Right click here to download the latest episode of the Junk Fud podcast.

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Cadbury Is Choosing Style Over Substance

On February 15th 2010 I made a prediction of sorts.  More than a prediction, I gave a warning to Kraft; the new owners of Cadbury, that they shouldn't mess with these perfect products.  When I wrote the piece, I gave Kraft the benefit of the doubt, but I warned them not to change the Dairy Milk Bar, the flagship bar of the Cadbury line.  It's been a few years since I wrote that post on this blog, and now they've done it.

Cadbury recently changed the shape of the Dairy Milk Bar from squares to bubble-like shapes.  You may be thinking that this is only an aesthetic change, and doesn't really affect the bar that much at all.  But it's not true; with the change in shape, they've shaved 4 grams off the weight of the bar.  Now that might not seem like much to you, but when you're a company selling millions of bars a year it adds up.

According to some statistics, over 350 million Dairy Milk bars are sold a year. When you do the math, Cadbury is saving almost 1.5 billion grams of chocolate a year.  That totals more than 31 million bars worth of chocolate saved. At 59p per bar they're saving more than 18 million British pounds a year (29 million US dollars).  These little bubbles no longer seem so much of an aesthetic choice.  After sampling the bar myself, I can't say that the lack of corners improved my experience at all. If anything, I found that the new shape made it harder to break the bar apart.

Dairy Milk isn't the only bar that seems to be going this direction.  There's a trend in bars and other chocolate treats coming in new shapes, or filled with bubbles.  I'm not convinced that this is really what people want. I'm sure people don't want to pay the same amount for less chocolate per bar.  The reason I think the candy companies are doing this is the fact that cocoa and sugar prices have been fluctuating a lot lately.  The best way to keep the price of a chocolate bar down is to make it smaller. If you reduce the cocoa it can affect the taste, but a few grams shaved off is hardly noticeable.  I don't object to making bars smaller at all; I object to making them smaller and disguising it as a "fun" new promotion.

The best way for candy companies to deal with this problem is to ask the people what they want to eat.  If they want less cocoa in their bar with a cheap price tag, make a new bar that can fill this need.  If they want a better quality chocolate but smaller to keep the price down, make mini Dairy Milk bars.  I love the candy industry because of the variety available.  I like that there are big bars, little bars, cheap chocolate, fine chocolate, and everything in between.  If you make every bar the same by reducing the sizes and changing the recipes, you'll eventually put people like me out of business - all my reviews would just be exactly the same.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Caramel Pumpkin

It has been so long since I've had a Kraft Fudgie, and after a little internet searching, I've learned that they've been discontinued.  That's too bad, another candy lost to the changes in big business.

I found this ad here.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Cadbury Popcorn  - Cadbury - It's their second attempt at making this, so this time it's got to work. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Monday's Candy Links

Don't eat that!.. Jaggery candy recalled in California and Washington.

Kraft signed a deal to make some of their treats in an ice cream form, I'm looking forward to the Toblerone ice cream treat.

NPR's Diane Rehm has a great episode of here show on the subject of "Environmental Outlook: Saving Chocolate".

Can't buy astronaut ice cream in your neck of the woods?  Don't worry the folks at Craft Zine have you covered.

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Caramel Nutrition 101

Although I don't doubt the claims made by this advertisement, I can't say that I would ever search out caramels in order to stay healthy.  I seek them out regularly because I want something tasty.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

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Kraft... You're Doing Too Much

So as we all know, Kraft bought Cadbury.  That's fine, I can accept that.  Did you also know that Kraft owns Milka?  Well they do, and since they want to focus on Cadbury, they've decided to ramp back on Milka.  If you've never tried Milka before than I have to say you're missing out, it's spectacular stuff.  So why can't Kraft push both, the world need more variety, not less.  I love Milka, I love Cadbury, and I even love Kraft, so why can't I have them all?

Click here to read more about Krafts plans.

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Cadbury and Kraft, It's Been a Year

It was about a year ago that Kraft purchased the British confectioner Cadbury in one of the biggest deals ever made in candy history.  Well it appears that after the dust has settled there are a few people that aren't feeling very good about the way things have worked out.  Former Cadbury executives are apparently sad about the deal, and Craig Sams founder of Green and Black's (a Cadbury and now Kraft owned company) is disappointed with where his product is going.  Personally I'm a little shaken by a few of the factory changes, however I'm not noticing too much change in the product yet.

Click here to read a look back at the last year at Kraft/Cadbury.

Click here to read an article about Craig Sams.

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What Are You Doing Kraft?!!

The biggest controversy that came out of the whole Kraft/Cadbury deal was the amount of change that might take place.  Kraft seemed to imply that there would be little to no change, but many still worried.  Well the worry is now warranted because Kraft has shut down the first Cadbury plant.  I'm hoping that this still won't affect the candy itself, but I worry.

Click here to find out more.

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Cadbury Is Coming Back to Israel

Apparently in 2002 Cadbury attempted to enter the market in Israel but failed.  I guess with Kraft at the helm and a strong performance on bringing in some gum products they've decided that they might try it again in 2012. I'm glad they're trying to expand, it's one of the good points that I feel the Cadbury/Kraft merger can really build on.  Hopefully Cadbury will continue distributing a high quality product to all kinds of new places, like the USA... or Greece maybe?

Click here to read more about Israel.

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Almost A Year After The Merger, What's Going On At Cadbury

I think it was about a year ago when Kraft took over Cadbury in one of the biggest candy mergers ever.  Well according to the folks at Kraft, they're doing they're best to keep the spirit of Cadbury around.  So far from the angle of quality of candy, and variety (they haven't discontinued anything yet) I'd say Kraft is doing an OK job.  It looks like they might even spread the Cadbury treats to new places for more people to try.

Click here to read more about what's gone on so far.

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Kraft Timeline

After the recent purchase of Cadbury by Kraft many people have started to look at Kraft as one of the big players in the business world.  It's not that it wasn't a big company before, it's just become so big that it's ranking among companies like Microsoft, Nike, and Coca-Cola.  So have you ever wondered how it got to this monolithic status?  Well here's a brief timeline of the Kraft company and how it became such a big player.

Click here to check out the timeline.

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Enough With The Buying For Kraft

Kraft has decided that they own enough, for now at least. They figure it's better to focus on building what they have (Cadbury) than buying more. I look forward to seeing what they have planned.

Click here to read some more.

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