Candy companies pitch gum as a stress reliever, concentration aid
Candy companies want to know: What will make Americans start chewing gum again?
Gum's bubble burst during the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks and social distancing made bad breath less of a worry and fewer people spent on impulse buys. The number of packages of gum sold dropped by nearly a third in the United States in 2020, according to Circana, a market research firm.
Consumer demand has picked up only slightly since then. Last year, U.S. chewing gum sales rose less than 1% to 1.2 billion units, which was still 32% fewer than in 2018.
Although sales in dollars are back to pre-pandemic levels, that's mostly due to inflation; the average pack of gum cost $2.71 last year, $1.01 more than it did in 2018, Circana said.
It's a similar story globally. Worldwide gum sales rose 5% last year to more than $16 billion, according to market researcher Euromonitor. That still was 10% below the 2018 sales figure.
Some manufacturers are responding to the bland demand by leaving the market altogether.
In 2022, Mondelez International sold its U.S., Canadian and European gum business, including brands like Trident, Bubblicious, Dentyne and Chiclets, to Amsterdam-based Perfetti Van Melle.
Chicago-based Mondelez, which makes Oreos and Cadbury chocolates, said it wanted to shift resources to brands with higher growth opportunities.
Other American confectioners are cutting slowselling brands. Ferrera Candy Co., which is headquartered in Forest Park, Illinois, quietly ended production of Fruit Stripe and Super Bubble gums in 2022 after more than 50 years.
Chewing gum is fighting more than a virus, however, when its comes to regaining its flavor.
Lynn Dornblaser, the director of innovation and insight at market research firm Mintel, said a growing number of consumers are trying to limit sugar in their diets and to eat foods with more natural ingredients. That limits the appeal of gum, since even sugarfree varieties often contain artificial sweeteners.
U.S. consumers, like those in Europe and Asia, also may be increasingly concerned about the stubborn litter from used gum, Dornblaser said.
Singapore famously banned the sale, import and manufacturing of chewing gum in 1992, blaming the careless disposal of the substance on subways for gumming up service. More recently, the U.K. go
vernment persuaded gum manufacturers to pay for a street-cleaning program to help remove gum and gum stains. Dan Sadler, a principal for client insights at Circana, has noticed generational differences in gum chewing.
Generation X, the cohort born between 1965 and 1980, tends to chew gum more than other age groups, he said.
Millennials generally show less interest in gum and candy, while Generation Z consumers are more interested in novelty candies like sour gummies. Nielsen says U.S. unit sales of gummies rose 2.5% over the last year and 4% the year before.
Mars Inc., which owns the 133-year-old Wrigley brand, thinks it may have an answer: repositioning gum as an instant stress reliever rather than an occasional breath freshener.
In January, the company launched a global ad campaign promoting its top-selling Orbit, Extra, Freedent and Yida brands as tools for mental well-being.