Not everyone loves Gummies – But most folks do! And they’re taking over the candy market because supply constraints are changing what’s available. And affordable. Even as alt-chocolate makes its contentious début on the market…
Gummies have even become the most popular form factor for chewable multi-vitamins!
There are also some major trends emerging in the collective candy consumer psyche that haven’t made big news – yet. But the industry knows that the younger generations are shifting away from conventional treats to new forms of sweet satisfaction…
Market research
The US National Confectioners Association reminds us that June is National Candy Month. What better time to publish their latest ‘State of Treating Report’?
The Repoort is an annual look at where the candy market is and where it’s headed. The 2026 7th Edition digests the results of sales figures for 2025 and reveals some interesting facts…
Key findings:
- Total US confectionery (candy and chewing gum) sales last year reached $55 Billion.
- 99.8 percent of US households purchased confectionery at least once in 2025.
- Milk chocolate is still America’s most loved confection – across all generations of consumers.
- Generational differences are ‘driving meaningful shifts in category performance’.
The skinny…
The Report’s executive summary reveals that economic factors played the most significant role in shaping last year’s industry ‘results’:
“Finances played an overriding role in confectionery purchase decisions last year, particularly for households that were carefully monitoring finances. Inflation boosted dollar sales in 2025, while unit and volume sales struggled. Despite this, confectionery engagement remained high, with 44 percent of consumers enjoying treats more than once a week. Brand loyalty, special occasions, and holidays are important reasons to splurge, say American consumers.”
Focus on non-chocolate products
It’s not just the soaring cost of chocolate confections that’s driving consumers away from the tradi-tional industry leader. It’s factors such as changing generational habits. The report notes that 48 per-cent of Gen Z candy consumers found something new through TikTok last year. While 58 percent of Boomers found something new in store.
Put that together with general census statistics that confirm the younger generations are taking over the world numerically while older generations are declining. The result is, ‘what Gen Z wants, Gen Z gets’.
And that they want isn’t necessarily chocolate.
Gummies to the fore!
Who couldn’t help by notice the surge in popularity of gummy treats over the past few years? They’re every-where. And they’re becoming a badge of ‘coolness’.
Gummies used to be considered a kids’ indulgence. But lately they’ve been shifting into the candy mainstream. And celebrities have been getting into the game…
New York candy aficionado Zac Shahbain observes, “It’s because every candy [maker] is doing a gummy version. Even Shaq[uille O’Neal] has a gummy.”
Shahbain is the co-owner of Dial Up Days, a ’90s and Y2K-themed sandwich shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn which is as much a candy store as anything else. He stocks retro novelty confections on the store’s impressive ‘candy wall. And the clear majority of the shop’s selection is gummies.
Gummy advantages
Back in the good old days – a decade or two ago – cocoa cost $2,000 to $3,000 per ton on the com-modity market. A few months ago, it hit the $12,000 per ton mark. And the unrelenting climate crisis is just making that picture darker.
Gummie economics is a much different story, however. Even though sugar – the main ingredient in non-chocolate sweets – is also getting more and more expensive, it’s nowhere near as costly as cocoa. And the other ingredients in gummies are relatively cheap.
And gummies are much easier to make. Perhaps more importantly, they’re much harder to screw up. Chocolate is an extremely temperamental substance, and it can be ruined by small errors in timing or temperature control during the manufacturing process.
“You can adjust sweetness, texture, [and] flavours, and even add functional ingredients without com-pletely breaking the product,” said Abbey Thiel, a food scientist working on making food science more accessible. “Gummies are actually a great entry point if you’re curious about food science at home.”
Yes, you CAN!
To make your own gummies, all you need is sugar, a liquid (almost any that doesn’t chemically interfere with the gelling process is fair game), and a gelling agent. Plus a few simple kitchen tools including a saucepan, a thermometer, and some molds. You can get all kinds of candy molds from restaurant supply soutlets and shops that sell cake and candy decorating supplies. Most Bulk Food stores that sell chocolate crafting ingredients also sell molds and other specialized tools.
And you can let your imagination run wild, adding flavours, colours, or agents such as citric acid for a sour kick.
My take
I’ve always loved gummies. And I always will. No matter what they do to my waistline or my wallet. Gummies will be the last confection I stop buying due to cost issues. And then, I’ll probably start making my own. So THERE!
~ Maggie J.