The authors had five objectives in preparing this book: (i) to bring together relevant information on many raw materials used in the manufacture of sweets and chocolate; (ii) to describe the principles involved and to relate them to production with maximum economy but maintaining high quality; (iii) to describe both traditional and modern production processes, in particular those continuous methods which are finding increasing application; (iv) to give basic recipes and methods, set out in a form for easy reference, for producing a large variety of sweets, and capable of easy modification to suit the raw materials and plant available; (v) to explain the elementary calculations most likely to be required.

The various check lists and charts, showing the more likely faults and how to eliminate. them, reflect the fact that art still plays no small part in this industry. To help users all over the world, whatever units they employ, most formulations are given in parts by weight, but tables of conversion factors are provided at the end of the book.

There also will be found a collection of other general reference data in tabular form; while the Glossary explains a number of technical terms, many of them peculiar to the industry. This is a time of world-wide change in the structure of the sugar confectionery and chocolate industry. It is experiencing consolidation with a general movement towards larger manufacturing units employing less labour with higher investment and capital costs in automatic and continuous high output production lines.

Many old-established factories have been closed because of mergers or takeovers or changing market pressures. But new, small vigorous companies have been formed to manufacture lines which the larger firms are finding uneconomic to produce in batch quantities. Confectionery packs offered under the retailer's own label are accelerating the change to more efficient production to cope with the lower profit margins generally associated with this trade. New firms entering the industry have high sales potential provided a good product is offered,  effectively packaged and efficiently marketed.