Finally, the stars are starting to align for all the students out there wishing they could just pop a piece of watermelon gum during history class. Glee Gum pointed me to new research from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, that shows chewing gum five minutes before cognitive tests improved performance.

I don’t think I could call myself a journalist if I missed the Thanksgiving news peg. Oh, you know, the time of year when each of us is required to make a list of all the things we should be thankful for. But, looking back on the year, it wasn’t hard to find a cornucopia of anti-praises.

If there were any confectionery companies out there having doubts about marketing to youth, there’s now 211 billion reasons to do so. New research from the 2012 Harris Poll YouthPulse (SM) study estimates that American youth (those 8 to 24 years old) will have $211 billion dollars to spend in 2012. And yes, that’s billion - with a B.

If you sell candy and you’re not on Facebook yet, then I have really bad for news for you - the world has passed you by while you did not pass Go and did not collect $200. But don’t take my 20-something word for it, just look at the data.

I just returned from the ECRM Candy Annual Planning EPPS event, held Sept. 18-21 at the Orlando World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla.

When you walk into Dulce Landia, you can’t help but feel an intense urge to find a bat and swing it as hard you can - at the pinatas. Dulce Landia, which roughly translates to “candy land,” is a Chicago area-based chain of confectionery stores that specializes in products imported from Mexico and other South American countries.

On the surface, it seems like the Hershey protesters from Change.org have finally found the one issue that’s black and white. But, of course, no issue is black and white, and this one in particular is more of a cocoa brown color.

Mars Chocolate North America recently released data from a poll that will promptly be filed under “obvious” - Americans apparently want more chocolate, vacation and sleep, but less celebrity gossip, reality TV and bickering politicians.

There’s nothing better than the smell of baking chocolate chip cookies, or fresh-from-the oven bread. But who wants to go through the trouble of baking the cookies and putting the bread in the oven?