Vegan Chocolate

I don't have anything against vegan chocolate, I've just had really bad luck with it. I do however have a great deal of optimism about it, particularly after tasting this latest treat that I've reviewed. There was a time when nut and other vegetable based milks where limited and frankly pretty gross, however I feel like they've improved a lot over the last few years. While I do have some dairy sensitivities (they're nothing that bad), I still often use regular milk for a great deal of my food, for cereal I've started to really enjoy the combination of nut milks and cereal. I think plant based milks are really improving, and I get the sense that vegan chocolate is improving too.

Check out my latest vegan chocolate review.

Candy & Snack Trends For 2020

The world of candy and snacks is always changing. Popular flavours change, and new ideas are around every corner. While I’m not clairvoyant about what the future has to hold for us snack lovers out there, I do have some ideas about what I think will be trendy over the next year or two.

More Vegan Foods/Candy

I think we're going to see more and more foods that are vegetable based, and I don't think this is going to stop with meat products. There are many candies and snacks that still use animal based ingredients, and I think this is going to go on the decline even more than it is already. I think it's going to be become the norm to use only vegetable based ingredients in candy and snacks in the future and I think this is going to be a big selling feature this year. There are so many vegetable based substitutes for the ingredients used today in candy and snacks already, so it only makes sense for those who haven’t switched yet to switch over in order to keep a growing number of people happy with their snacks.

Fewer Super Spicy Treats

I've never been a huge fan of super spicy foods. For the last few years I've been trying to improve my tolerance of spicy foods, but it's still something I'm not in love with. I'm even less in love with the idea of having spicy foods that are so spicy that it causes people to be sick. I know that some people enjoy challenging themselves, but I'm starting to think that most people are getting tired of pushing the limits.

More Crazy Flavoured Chips

The crazy chip trend is not new. It's been going strong for a few years now, and I think it's going to keep going strong. While I like to see almost any new and fun flavour of chips, I'm really enjoying the trend of taking flavours from other parts of the world and introducing them via chips. Not everyone can travel to Thailand to try some authentic Tom Yum soup, but now anybody can eat the chips.

More Limited Edition Treats

I think this year, much like last year, is going to be filled with limited edition versions of classic snacks and treats. I worry that many of these treat companies are running out of ideas, and the flavours are just weird for weird sake, but I don't think that's going to stop them from continuing to make these treats. I predict that not only are we going to see more strange flavours, but I think that this year we might see an increase in the new colours and looks of classic treats (so they can get the Instagram clicks).

Even More CBD Candy

It could be the circles of people I hang out with, or the fact that I’m Canadian, but I keep coming across articles about CBD products, and more relevantly CBD edibles. The reason there’s a boom in these products is legalization of marijuana in many parts of the world. Edible CBD products are not something that can always be made in someone’s basement, so with more places around the world legalizing marijuana, there are more markets to sell legally, and more places that high quality snack and candy companies can build legal factories to manufacture CBD infused candies. Right now, there are several small newer companies producing edibles, but I think in the next year or two we’re going to see larger companies like Hershey’s, Frito-Lays, or even Nestle getting into the CBD market.

Here are a few things I hope (but I'm not sure) will trend this year:

Black Licorice in Odd Places

Over the last few years I've come to discover that Northern Europe has been using black licorice is some odd ways. It's common (and delicious) to find black licorice with chocolate, and I've even tried black licorice potato chips. While I'm not a huge fan of black licorice most of the time, I've found that as a subtle flavour addition it sometimes works really well.

Asian Candy From More Diverse Places

I think we're going to see even more Asian candies, but not just from Japan. I'm hoping that this year we start to see candies from all over Asia, including places like India, Thailand, and Malaysia. While Japan and China seem to have a pretty strong hold on the international candy market, it'll be great to get a bit more variety from this part of the world.

Lesser Known European Chocolate Brands Going Global

There are a lot of European chocolate bars that are really popular in some European countries, but for some reason they just haven't gone global yet. I hope that this is the year that these brands expand, and we start to see Fazer all over the world.

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Candy News

Android names their latest operating system after an actual bar, the Kit Kat. So is there a lawsuit in the works, or a serious advertising campaign?

How do you eat your candy corns?  Are you the norm or the exception?

Spreadable Beer, just in case you're board with peanuts and chocolate.

A DIY project that will justify polishing off an entire package of gum, and keep your earbuds in good condition.

Food Navigator is talking about what flavours reign in the snack world, I disagree, but I don't like spicy foods.

How's your heart, do you keep forgetting things?  Well dark chocolate might be the perfect answer to your problems.

For all you Vegan candy fanatics out there, soon you'll be able to enjoy M&Ms as well.

The Huffington Post is writing about retro candy, kind of muscling in on my territory if you ask me.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday's Candy Links

It's great to see schools selling chocolate bars to raise money, it's totally awesome to know that the food science department is behind it.

I don't always think about what candies are vegan, and what candies are not.  For example, did you know fudge isn't vegan?

What do you get when you mix vodka with your favorite breakfast cereal, surprisingly the answer can't be found in a fraternity movie.

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Friday's Candy Links

One of my favorite art/candy events is back, the Peeps diorama contest!

Did you just eat a Twix bar for breakfast?  That's OK, it might not be that bad for you.

If you're a vegan and you find yourself in West Virginia, you might want to check out DeFluris Fine Chocolates.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Want to know how to calm down a jail full of criminals?  Insert Popsicles.

Mental Floss has a list of strange flavours of common snacks from around the world.

OCD vegan starts candy business, the name of this place is spectacular, "Obsessive Confection Disorder".

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Cleavland Area Chocolatier Doesn't Use Nuts Or Milk

I love it when a chocolatier sets out a goal and achieves it with great success.  The Chocolate Emporium in Cleveland decided that it would make kosher/vegan no nut chocolates and apparently it's not only a success technically, business wise they're also doing well.  They only manufacture dark chocolate and their whole facility is totally nut free.

Click here to read more.

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Some Info About Vegan Truffles

I always thought truffles where vegan... I've never actually done any kind of research to prove it or anything, it was just an assumption. This article has some great info on the subject, and also makes me want to see if I can taste any difference.

Click here to find out about vegan truffles.

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