Consumption. “I can’t resist it”: why the French are still so addicted to sweets

"If the opportunity to eat them presents itself, I can't resist." Crocodile, Tagada strawberry, licorice, Carambar, Smurf... The French are still as fond of candy as ever. In 2024, 90% of households purchased confectionery for an average budget of 42 euros per year, according to a study by Confiseurs de France with Kantar Worldpanel. The union has 46 members, from the multinational Haribo to companies of all sizes.

According to a survey by the Society and Consumption Observatory (ObSoCo) carried out in May 2022, candy is considered by 72% of French people to be one of the little pleasures of everyday life . For 79% of respondents, it is also "a pleasure we cannot do without." Like Amélie, 35: "I eat it especially in the evening in front of the TV. I'm not very proud of it... But it does my morale so much good." The Dijon resident confides a preference for sour candies and artisanal salted butter caramel lollipops. "We go back a little to the past, to our childhood memories!"

Berlingots from Nantes, violets from Toulouse, salted butter caramel from Brittany or Normandy, calissons from Provence… “The French market is made up of a large number of very old brands and regional products, which people continue to refer to,” says Pascal Zundel, president of the French Confectioners’ Union: “It’s the effect of a certain nostalgia.” According to him, it’s also a vector of transmission and sharing: 82% of confectionery consumers like to introduce their loved ones to the ones they like, according to the ObSoCo study.

After the pandemic halted, the sector recovered in 2023. The growth was confirmed in 2025, with sales up 2.1% in the first quarter compared to 2023. In 2024, it was mainly calissons (+11.1%), chewing gum (+10.3%), and licorice and cashews (+8.3%) that saw sales increase compared to 2023, according to the union. Haribo remains the market leader, "both in terms of sales and production," notes the president of the Confiseurs de France. "What you need to know is that the French remain reasonable: average consumption is around eight grams per day per person," says Pascal Zundel, also head of the Bonbons Barnier confectionery (Seine-Maritime). That's the equivalent of a daily Carambar.

For its part, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) recommends that adults consume no more than 100 grams of total sugar per day—including sugars naturally present in fruit and those added to processed foods. “We know that 20 to 30% of French people exceed these recommendations,” says Juliette Hazart, an addiction specialist and lecturer, pointing to “excessive” sugar consumption. “It’s a real public health issue because it’s a risk factor for most of the chronic diseases that are most prevalent in the ^21st century.”

"Sugar has a high addictive potential, just like other drugs. It activates the reward circuits in the brain, which encourages the behavior to be repeated," explains Juliette Hazart. The challenge lies in distinguishing between indulgence and loss of control. "Consumption becomes problematic when the person loses the freedom to abstain," explains the doctor.

While sugar addiction isn't recognized as such in medical classifications, the issue remains debated. Arnaud, 29, has chosen to avoid temptation: "I don't buy it anymore to avoid consuming too much. But if the opportunity to eat it arises, I can't resist," confirms the Saint-Etienne resident. For others, candy is completely forbidden: "I don't eat it because it's too sweet," says Martial, 61, who has bad memories of digestive problems after consuming it.