Giving consumers a better reason to chew

Pardon the pun, but lately, gum and mint makers have been chewing over a problem: a drop in sales.

A solution may be at hand, however, in the form of gums and mints that contain more natural ingredients, exotic flavours and offer several benefits. Oh, and creative packaging, too.

“I see gum becoming more functional, it’s serving more of a purpose than just being an enjoying thing to eat,” George Stege, president of Ford Gum, told Candy Industry magazine in the U.S.

One ingredient that appears to be catching on is xylitol, a naturally derived sweetener that's increasingly being used in sugar-free gums by companies such as Glee Gum.

Meanwhile, some gums are going back to using regular old sugar to give their customers a pure, sweet chew, while others are developing cool new packaging to draw attention.

Read the full story here.