There has been three trends that dominated the chocolate industry in 2007. These were Healthy confectionery, Premium chocolate, and Ethical chocolate.

The biggest of the trends have been Healthy chocolate with many companies adding healthy ingredients to their products, and promoting the benefits of cocoa. The higher the percentage of cocoa the higher the higher levels of antioxidants.

This has resulted in higher sales of dark chocolate, with companies such as Ferrero Rocher releasing new dark chocolate versions.

The next tend is the increase in sales of Luxury and premium chocolates. Truffles have seen an increase in demand, and in August Nestle announced the re-launch of Black Magic, its dark chocolate range. The trend showed that customers were trying to cut back on chocolate, so were buying a luxurious treat rather than lots of standard chocolate bars.

The final trend for 2007 was the increase in demand for Ethical chocolate, as consumers wanted to know where the chocolates had come from.

The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation International (FLO), global sales figures for fairtrade products increased by 37 per cent to £758m in 2007. This figure is set to increase in 2008 with Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s selling their own brand Fairtrade chocolate.