London, August 02 2006 - Tastes for dark chocolate are growing around the world because of its perceived health benefits, the chief financial officer of Cadbury Schweppes Plc said on Wednesday.
"The outlook for dark chocolate is pretty strong," Ken Hanna told Reuters after a press briefing on the company's first-half results.
"You can see most of the major confectionery players are recognising that people have a kind of healthy image about dark chocolate for the anti-oxidants, and feeling good," he said.
"Dark chocolate is a growth area," he added.
"It's very much a global (phenomenon). It's in Australia. It's in the U.S., and in France in particular."
Some researchers believe that dark chocolate has better anti-oxidant properties than milk chocolate, which means that it can protect the heart and arteries from oxidative damage.
Cadbury has launched dark chocolate brands to respond to growing consumer interest, Hanna said.
Sales of organic chocolate maker Green & Black's, a unit of Cadbury, grew by 25 percent in the first half of 2006, and revenues were up 50 percent last year.
"We're matching consumer desires for more natural products with our own products," Hanna said.
Green & Black's is trying to source additional supplies of organic cocoa from Central America, mainly Belize, to respond to heightened consumer interest, he said.
"We have to be very careful in making sure it is absolutely organic, and we are working with the producers there to try and increase supply, but it is not instant," he added.
"There is not unlimited supply of organic cocoa."
Farmers in producing regions needed to convert to organic production, but the process would take years.
Green and Black's is sold mainly in Britain, but it is also distributed in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
Organic chocolate demand has surged in Britain as consumers increasingly favour foods perceived as free of chemical inputs such as pesticides.