What can the industry expect from new Spanish confectionery association Produlce?

Five associations of the sweet market have become together into a new association, the Spanish Confectionery Association (Produlce). It is created with the specific mission of representing and protecting the interests of the confectionery sector and to work together to strengthen the image of each one of the categories.
The organization is formed by 62 companies that work in the categories of sweets and chewing gum, chocolate and cocoa products, biscuits, turron, marzipans and fine bakery wares.

Produlce is founded in a reassessment of the old FEAD (Federation of Spanish Confectionery Associations). The president of Produlce, Olga Martínez, says, “joining the efforts of a range of different partners in the same sector will allow us to convey most effectively the values and strengths of an industry that provides jobs to more than 115,000 people and represents the 19% of the growth in food and beverage business in Spain”.
Caobisco notes that, according to Nielsen market research, these product categories have a strong presence in the shopping basket, with a penetration of among 86% in Spanish homes.

With a €4.6 million annual turnover in 2010, the confectionery sector in Spain concentrates the 6% of the food and drinks business and it represents a 19% of its growth. The confectionery sector is the 7th producer of the food and drinks industry in Spain and it is ranked the 5th largest confectionery producer in the European Union after Germany, United Kingdom, France and Italy. Export represents a 25% of the total production.
According to Produlce, its main objectives are to represent and protect the common interests of the confectionery sector and to position the Association as a reference for entities to which we are related, to advertise to opinion leaders and consumers the commitment and responsibility of our industry, besides of the improvement efforts in terms of innovation, food safety and nutrition.

PRODULCE represents the sector by being an active member of the Spanish Food and Drinks Federation (FIAB) in a national level, and of CAOBISCO (Association of chocolate, biscuit and confectionery industries of the European Union), in a European level.