Subscribe Covid-19 accelerates the trend towards healthy cocoa By Anthony Myers ConfectioneryNews talks to Wouter Stomph, North America Head of Ingredient Development & Innovation, Olam Cocoa, on the latest confectionery trends and why celebrating cocoa as an ingredient in its own right will play a significant part. CN: What are the repercussions from the COVID19 pandemic and how is the chocolate industry reacting? WS: The emergence of COVID-19 meant 2020 was a year of nostalgia, as the pandemic saw anxious consumers opting for comforting and familiar favourites rather than trying out adventurous, new flavour combinations. This had an impact on NPD and we’ve seen many of our customers choosing to expand their successful product lines and flavours into more formats, rather than taking risks on new or more adventurous product lines.