FROM THE EDITOR


EDITORIAL Editor


Kiran Grewal


kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk Features Editor


Suzanne Callander scallander@kennedys.co.uk


Production & Design Marc Miller


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EDITOR’S LETTER A


and its opportunities with renewed clarity.


COP30 has underscored just how high the stakes have become. In response to the summit, Marie Rumsby, Director of Advocacy at the Fairtrade Foundation, offered a pointed reminder of what meaningful progress must look like: funding pledges for climate adaptation are welcome, but insufficient without concrete, on-the-ground actions that place smallholders, cooperatives and Indigenous communities at the centre. As she told us, “True climate support can only succeed when it is rooted in the ground — driven by small-scale producers and cooperatives who ensure that solutions safeguard both the environment and the livelihoods of millions.” It’s a message particularly resonant for confectionery, where the futures of both cocoa and sugar hinge on producers who bear the least responsibility for climate disruption yet face its harshest consequences.


Sustainability and resilience will continue to drive the global dialogue into next year — not least at the World Cocoa Foundation’s 2026 Partnership Meeting in Amsterdam this coming February. Chris Vincent, WCF President and keynote speaker at our recent London Chocolate Forum, framed the upcoming gathering succinctly: “This is not business as usual.” The programme reflects that urgency, from sessions on cocoa disease management to regulatory preparedness, origin-country leadership and the growing influence of emerging producers. It will be a pivotal moment of alignment for a sector that can no longer afford incrementalism.


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Kennedy’s Confection ISSN 1474-3841


Set up in 1890, Kennedy’s Confection is the longest– established magazine in the trade and is distributed


exclusively worldwide to manufacturers of chocolate, sugar confectionery and bakery products.


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


Kiran Grewal, Editor kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk


NOVEMBER 2025 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • 3


In this month’s issue, we turn our attention to the technologies, ingredients and production systems shaping confectionery’s future. Superfood Inclusions (page 10) explores the shift in consumer expectations around health, flavour and functional ingredients — from baobab and lucuma to the expanding world of fruit couvertures. Our reportage on Inline Quality Control Systems (page 16) examines how high-speed vision and intelligent data transfer are transforming accuracy on the line, while Advanced Cooling & Setting Systems (page 22) highlights why this often-overlooked stage is so critical to final product quality. We round out with Hygienic Solutions (page 28), an essential read as manufacturers reassess facility design through the lens of efficiency, compliance and food safety.


I’m writing this edition from Northern Thailand, where I’ve had the opportunity to meet the team behind Siamaya Chocolate — a craft maker rooted in Chiang Mai and known for its imaginative Thai-inspired flavours, ethical sourcing partnerships and commitment to transparent production. Their perspective adds another layer to the global conversations we’re following, and you’ll be seeing more from them — and many others — in our upcoming December/January ProSweets & ISM Preview, which is shaping up to be one of our most internationally focused editions yet. Expect exclusive interviews, regional insights and reportage you simply won’t find anywhere else.


Thank you, as always, for reading, and for being part of the Kennedy’s community.


s 2025 draws toward its close, cocoa markets are still volatile, regulatory demands are tightening and climate pressure intensifies across agricultural supply chains, the industry is being forced to confront both its vulnerabilities


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