Chocolate consumers have been inundated with positive health news surrounding the confection in recent years. But, even in the wake of those reports, it is unclear just how much of an impact will be seen on sales.
Lucintel, a global management consulting and market research firm, predicts the U.S. chocolate industry will experience moderate growth through 2018 and reach an estimated sales total of approximately $19.3 billion. Fueling that growth will be innovation in dark and milk chocolate, with new flavors and lower-calorie and possibly even sugar-free chocolate varieties.