To revive stale US sales, candy companies pitch gum as a stress reliever

Candy companies want to know: What will get Americans to chew gum again?

Gum’s bubble burst during the COVID-19 pandemic, when masks and social distancing made bad breath less of a concern and fewer people spent on impulse purchases. According to market research firm Circana, the number of packs of gum sold in the United States fell by almost a third in 2020.

Consumer demand has increased only slightly since then. Last year, US chewing gum sales rose less than 1% to 1.2 billion units, which was still 32% less than in 2018. Although dollar sales are back to pre-pandemic levels, mainly due to inflation; the average pack of gum cost $2.71 last year, $1.01 more than in 2018, Circana said.

It’s a similar story worldwide. According to market researcher Euromonitor, global sales of chewing gum rose 5% last year to more than $16 billion. That was still 10% below the 2018 sales figure.

Some manufacturers are responding to weak demand by exiting the market altogether. In 2022, Mondelez International sold its US, Canadian and European chewing gum businesses, including brands such as 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 potential.

Other American confectioners are cutting slow-selling brands. Ferrera Candy Co., headquartered in Forest Park, Illinois, quietly ended production of Fruit Stripe and Super Bubble gums in 2022 after more than 50 years.

However, chewing gum fights more than a virus when it comes to regaining taste. Lynn Dornblaser, director of innovation and insights at market research firm Mintel, said a growing number of consumers are trying to limit sugar in their diets and eat foods with more natural ingredients. That limits the appeal of chewing gum, as even sugar-free varieties often contain artificial sweeteners.

U.S. consumers, like those in Europe and Asia, may also be increasingly concerned about the persistent waste of used chewing gum, Dornblaser said. Singapore banned the sale, import and production of chewing gum in 1992, blaming the careless disposal of the substance in the subway system for polluting the service. More recently, the British government persuaded chewing gum manufacturers to pay for a street cleaning program to help remove chewing gum and gum stains.

Dan Sadler, director of customer insights at Circana, has noticed generational differences in gum chewing.

Generation X, the cohort born between 1965 and 1980, is more likely to chew gum than other age groups, he said. Millennials generally show less interest in gum and candy, while Generation Z consumers are more interested in novelty sweets like sour gummies. Nielsen says U.S. gummy sales increased 2.5% last year and 4% the year before that.

Mars Inc., owner of the 133-year-old Wrigley brand, thinks it may have an answer: reposition chewing gum as an instant stress reliever rather than an occasional breath freshener. In January, the company launched a global advertising campaign promoting its best-selling brands Orbit, Extra, Freedent and Yida as mental wellness tools.

Alyona Fedorchenko, vice president for global gum and mints at Mars’ snack division, said the idea stuck in the summer of 2020, as the company frantically researched ways to revive sales.

Fedorchenko recalled talking to a nurse in a hospital’s COVID-19 ward who chewed gum to calm herself even though she always wore a mask. The nurse’s habit was in line with studies from Mars that showed half of chewers turned to gum to relieve stress or increase concentration.

“That was the big ‘Aha!’” Fedorchenko said. “We have had a legacy of fresh breath for a century, and that is still very important. Do not get me wrong. But there is so much more that this category can offer.”

Emphasizing wellness is part of a multi-year effort to attract 10 million new American chewers by 2030, she said. Mars is also introducing new products such as Respawn by 5 gum, aimed at gamers. The gum contains green tea and vitamin B, and the company promotes these ingredients as a way to help improve focus. Sold in three flavors, Respawn by 5 could lure customers from smaller brands like Rev Energy Gum, which contains caffeine.

Megan Schwichtenberg, a Minneapolis-based PR account director, accepts the idea of ​​chewing gum as a quick break. She often chews a stick of fruit-flavored Mentos gum while driving or at the gym, and finds that chewing gum keeps her from clenching her jaw during the workday.

“If I’m sitting at a desk all day leading a team, I can’t get up and start punching a punching bag,” Schwichtenberg said. “It’s a way to limit some of that in the space you’re in.”

But not everyone thinks that chewing gum improves well-being. Kylie Faildo, a pelvic floor physical therapist in Denver, thinks artificial sweeteners and swallowing air while chewing made her bloating symptoms worse. She gave up chewing gum two years ago and has no plans to go back, even though she misses the convenience of popping a piece in her mouth before meeting a customer.

“I use mouthwash a lot more now,” Faildo said.

Caron Proschan, the founder and CEO of natural chewing gum brand Simply, said she thinks gum sales in the U.S. have slowed due to a lack of innovation. Young customers have little disposable income and lots of distractions, she said, so chewing gum must be attractive.

Simply — which makes chewing gum from a type of tree sap called chicle instead of synthetic ingredients — has seen its sales double every year since 2021 without raising prices, Proschan said.

“Consumers today care about ingredients. They think quality is important. The gum category did not evolve to meet the needs of this consumer,” she said.

Sadler and Dornblaser say they still see growth for chewing gum, but it must adapt to customers’ changing tastes and purchasing habits, including a shift from impulse sales to online shopping.

For example, some brands, such as the British Nuud Gum, offer subscriptions. Other gum companies are experimenting with pop-up ads that remind customers to add gum to their food delivery orders.