Candy is getting a low-carb makeover. The candy industry is responding to the growing popularity of the Atkins and South Beach diets.
Many of the new products that were on display this week at the All Candy Expo in Chicago are diet sweets. The trade show is the largest in North America, with an estimated 1,400 new products on display by more than 450 candy makers from around the world.
"It's magical," said Larry Graham, president of the National Confectioners Association, which hosts the expo. "Your face lights up when you enter the exhibit hall. It's like taking a break from adulthood and becoming a kid again."
Barry Sokol of Sorbee International is showing their new sugar-free products. He said the "low-carb craze is beyond going through the roof."
Hershey, too, is making a low-carb splash, with sugar-free chocolate bars and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The company is also trying a few new products, such as chocolate candy with soy chips.
New sugar-free Jelly Belly beans have only 90 calories and 4 net carbs per serving -- and two new flavors might leave a lasting taste in your mouth: Roasted Garlic and Cinnamon Toast.
Gummi Bear maker Scott Albanese said his company has been making sugar-free candy for years, but never thought to market it as low-carb.
There are also a growing number of candy pieces and chocolate bars created to break easily into sections for sharing.
Among the sweet selections at the show, which was not open to the public, included lollipops with a creepy, realistic-looking "bug" trapped inside and energy mints packaged in what looks like a D battery.
Another new product is calcium-fortified chocolates in purse-size sleeves for women.
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