To revive stale US sales, candy companies pitch gum as a stress reliever and concentration aid

By DEE-ANN DURBIN
AP Business Writer

Gum makers are trying to figure out what will make Americans start chewing again. Generational habits, health concerns and the coronavirus pandemic have gnawed away at gum sales. Some manufacturers are leaving the U.S. market altogether. But Mars, which owns the 133-year-old Wrigley brand, is trying to reposition gum as a stress reliever and a concentration aid as well as a breath freshener. A company executive says the “aha moment” came from a nurse in a hospital COVID-19 ward who chewed gum behind a mask to calm herself. Market research firm Circana says U.S. chewing gum sales rose less than 1% last year to 1.2 billion packages, which was still 32% fewer than in 2018.