YOUR GATEWAY TO HIGH-GROWTH CONFECTIONERY OPPORTUNITIES

Driven by one of the fastest-growing consumer markets in the world, the confectionery industry in the Middle East, Africa and Asia is entering a powerful new phase of expansion and ISM Middle East is where the industry meets to do business.

The confectionery sector at ISM Middle East unites the full spectrum of the industry from sugar confectionery, gummies, jellies and lollipops to chewing gum, mints, breath fresheners, lozenges, nougat, marshmallows, caramels, toffees and the fast-growing world of functional and medicated confectionery. 

Bringing together producers, buyers, distributors and retail decision-makers from across the region, ISM Middle East is where international brands enter new markets, regional manufacturers meet global innovation and the deals shaping the future of confectionery are made.


 

  • Aniseed sticks

  • Bavarian malt, in bar or as individual sweets

  • Sweets in presentation tin or glasses

  • Sweets with a fruit centre in tray presentation pack

  • Necklace of sweets

  • Fizzy sweets

  • Cachous

  • Cola drops

  • Candies with fructose and/or sweeteners/diet candies

  • Drops

  • Refreshment candies

  • Eucalyptus sweets/eucalyptus and menthol sweets

  • Fruit flavoured boiled sweets

  • Hazelnut sweets/nut sweets/hazelnut praline sweets

  • Honey sweets

  • Cough drops

  • Yoghurt sweets

  • Coffee sweets

  • Caramel sweets

  • Chews

  • Coin crisps

  • Herbal sweets

  • Licorice sweets/toffees

  • Lollipops (cherries on sticks/shaped lollies/also filled lollies)

  • Milk/full-milk caramels/milk praline sweets

  • Mocha sweets

  • Peppermint sweets/balls

  • Cream sweets

  • Hard caramel dummy

  • Chocolate sweets/chocolate mint sweets

  • Satin sweets

  • Toffees/butter toffees/fudge

  • Vitamin sweets

  • Sweets made with non-sugar sweeteners

  • Butter buttons

  • Coated eggs/coated egg arrangements

  • Viennese chocolate-coated almonds

  • Chocolate beans

  • Chocolate-coated kernels, raisins etc.

  • Silver beads/vermicelli/hundreds and thousands

  • Burnt almonds

  • Sorbitol fruit tablets

  • Peppermint tablets (rolls/sticks/rounds and squares)

  • Sorbitol peppermint tablets

  • Glucose tablets

  • Vitamin tablets

  • Tablets made with non-sugar sweeteners

  • Effervescent powder/tablets

  • Confections with fructose and/or sweeteners/diet confections

  • Ice-cups

  • Fondant products

  • Fondant

  • Fruit gums/yoghurt fruit gums

  • Layered fruit and nut pastes (nut/hazelnut slices/chocolate-almond slices)

  • Caramelised peanuts/hazelnuts/almonds

  • Sugared jellies

  • Sweet gums/jelly bears

  • Gums and jelly confectionery

  • Ginger products

  • Cocoa confectionery

  • Cocoa crème/cocoa crème confectionery/cocoa crème products

  • Candied fruits, candied blossomings

  • Chewing gum (bubble gum/with liquid filling/soft gum)

  • Chewing gum with non-sugar sweeteners

  • Toys (sweet products combined with toys)

  • Toy-house sized sweets

  • Coconut balls/coconut eggs

  • Coconut flakes, coloured/chocolate coated

  • Coconut lumps/balls/sticks/cubes

  • Cream-filled figures/hats

  • Cracknel (hazelnut/coconut/almond/almond and nut)

  • Cracknel eggs/almond cracknel eggs

  • Licorice/licorice products

  • Marshmallows

  • Marzipan products

  • Marshmallow treats/marshmallow cones

  • Nougat products

  • Orange rounds/orange sticks

  • Coated popcorn/coated puffed-rice

  • Peppermint slabs/sticks/rings/cubes/tablets/rounds

  • Mallow products/mallow eggs

  • Dusting and sprinkling products

  • White nougat

  • Wine gums

  • Lemon rounds

  • Sugar figures

  • Lokum

  • Halva

  • Pastila (fruit confectionery)

  • Cotton candy

  • Vegan products

  • Sugar-free products

  • Sugar-reduced products

  • Fat-reduced products

  • Lactose-free products

  • Sugar-free chocolate

  • Sugar-free chocolate products

  • Sugar-free sweets

  • Sugar-free pastilles

  • Sugar-free chewing gum

  • Sugar-free fruit jellies

  • Sugar-free pastries

  • Sugar-free snacks

  • Sugar-free ice cream

  • Other sugar-free products

STRATEGIC TRENDS RESHAPING THE BUSINESS OF CONFECTIONERY

Gifting Culture & Seasonal Demand

Confectionery is inseparable from the social fabric of MEA and Asian markets. Eid, Ramadan, Diwali, Lunar New Year and countless other celebrations drive predictable, high-volume seasonal demand that rewards brands with the right product and presence.

The Functional Revolution

The global functional confectionery market is projected to grow from $73.79 billion in 2025 to $136.78 billion by 2033 at a CAGR of nearly 8% with consumers seeking gummies, gums, mints, and lozenges delivering immunity, digestion, energy, oral care and stress relief.

Health-Driven Reformulation

Sugar taxes in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have accelerated demand for low-sugar, sugar-free and clean-label confectionery alternatives opening space for brands innovating with natural sweeteners like stevia, monk fruit and allulose and for formats built around transparency of ingredients.

Tourism, Travel Retail & Dubai's Unique Advantage

Dubai's position as a global travel hub significantly amplifies confectionery demand through duty-free retail, hotel channels and destination-specific gifting products making the UAE a uniquely powerful market for international brand launches, consumer testing and reaching visitors from over 200 nationalities in a single city. Over 9.88 million overnight visitors arrived in Dubai in the first half of 2025 alone, representing a 6% year-on-year increase.

LATEST NEWS & INSIGHTS MOVING THE CONFECTIONERY INDUSTRY