Coin Machine Review (& Pacific ...)

INGRED IENTS
• • •
The big question in merchandise supply
circles concerns actual price trends since
the commodity price declines in February.
For purposes of the record, the February
decline was the biggest for any comparable
period since shortly after World War I.
But March brought a reversal of down·
ward trends, although at the end of the
month commodity levels were still about
8 per cent below the price level in January.
War agitation at the current time is re-
garded as inflationary and hence the gen-
eral price trend is again upward, or else
holding at high levels.
Spotty breaks in price of some ingredients
are occurring at the present time but price
trends are not yet definite enough to say
that costs of ingredients are on the way
down in sufficient force to bring general
downward trends in merchandise.
The whole price situation is left hang-
ing in the air, awaiting more conclusive
developments in the world situation.
Meanwhile, any promises of price de-
clines in the ingredients field make big
news because the merchandise supply firms
are anxiously watching such developmen ts_
Candy Industry, trade paper for the candy
industry, recently reported having reliable
information that the way is being paved for
cocoa and chocolate prices to start down-
ward. Basis for this expected decline comes
from Congressional circles where it was re-
ported plans were under way to exclude
cocoa from the list of 16 foodstuffs for
which countries getting American aid could
spend American dollars.
U. S. control of export and import trade
of countries getting financial aid is ex-
f
CHICAGO:"-In its report on the candy
manufacturing industry for 1947, the Na-
tional Confectioners Assn. undertakes to
tabulate data so that comparisons can be
made between sales and per capita con-
sumption of candy and also the total retail
sales and per capita income of the various
states.
The actual size of the candy manufactur-
ing industry is left for the data to be
shown by the census of manufacturers now
being taken by the U. S. Census Bureau.
The 1939 census established the total num-
ber of candy manufacturers at 1,252, but
during the days of OPA the number of
firms requesting sugar to make candy stood
at the high figure of 7,500.
In its extensive report on 1946 candy
sales by the Department of Commerce, more
than 400 producers of candy contributed
data. The NCA cooperates each year in
helping to make this survey amon'g its manu- .
facturer members. The month-to-month re-
ports on candy sales issued by the govern-
ment are usually based on reports from
around 280 producers.
.
The official 1946 report gave 101 firms as
making chocolate coated bars and 102 firms
making chocolate bars, and on a poundage
basis bars constituted 53 per cent of total
candy made. These figures will give oper-
ators an idea of how big a part the candy
bar business forms when total industry fig-
ures are given at any time.
In its monthly reports, th,e government
has information from upwards of 30 candy
bar manufacturing firms, including many
of the largest, of course.
.
,
A meflC(J
(See INGR EDIENTS, Page '54)
~
1947 . Candy Production Tops
$930,000,000; 53~o Bars
The current NCA report quotes Dept. of
Labor statistics on number of workers in
candy plants for 1947, putting the figure at
79,500. This was heralded by the industry
as an all-time high and at the same time
there was a shortage of workers in many
plants, particularly skilled workers.
The valuation of the total candy output
for 1947 is put at $930,000,000, apparently
at the wholesale level, and total poundage
reached the high figure of 2,584,000,000
lbs. Per capita consumption of all candies
in the U. S. for 1947 is 18 lbs.
By comparison with other food manufac-
turing industries, tn 1947 the candy manu-
facturers stood fourth largest in number of
people employed and eighth largest in terms
of dollar sales.
Other data in the NCA report is based
on candy sales in 1946. Last year was more
than half gone when the final report on
candy sales for 1946 was issued by the gov-
ernment, in cooperation with NCA, and it is
assumed that the complete report on 1947
sales will come about mid-1948.
NCA has emphasized ingredients used in
candy, in its vast educational program, and
the current report contains some data on
use and percentage cost of the most impor-
tant ingredients in candy. NCA has used
the ingredients picture for a double pur-
pose, to prove the value of candy as a food
and also to show reasons why costs of pro-
duction have advanced so much. NCA has
taken an active part in trying to get a
reduction in price of edible peanuts used
in making candy.
In 1944 sugar constituted 34.4 per cent
S
~ powerfully
m~dvertised b(Jrs
I-
.,
:50
Co.
RAD IO -
Dav id Hard ing
" COUNTERSPY "
ABC NETWORK
Every Sunda y
5:30 P. M. EST.
Billions of
BOOK MATCHES
Distri bu ted Na ti o na lly
Smashing
4-Co lor Ads in
LOOK Maga zi ne
RADIO SPOT
ANNOUNCEMENTS
in Princi pal Markets
Full -color a ds
in po pular
COMIC BOOKS
Millions of
BOOK MARk S
Distributed to
School Children
COIN MACHINE REVIEW
d