September 30, 2015

Three of the world’s top confectionary giants are stepping up their investments in the Chinese market.

Hershey is prepared to complete its acquisition of Chinese candy maker Shanghai Jinsihou Food in the fourth quarter of this year, according to an unnamed source at the company, and on September 23 Ferrero, the world’s third largest chocolate maker, announced its plan to establish a manufacturing base in the country.

Meanwhile, Mars, the largest candy company in the world with $33 billion in annual sales, announced it is investing $15 million to build a global food security center in the country.

Mars has had a presence in the Chinese market for more than 20 years. Given the stringent attention that China’s consumers pay to food supply and safety issues, Mars has decided to establish the center prior to developing new products tailored especially for the market.