Atlantic provinces sweet on chocolate

The two sweetest places in the land for candy makers are at opposite ends of the country, a new survey suggests.

The just released report, from Decima Research in Toronto, says those most likely to eat chocolate live in the four Atlantic provinces.

The report says those Canadians most likely to chew gum live on the Prairies.

Researchers found 41% of Atlantic Canadians say they eat chocolate at least once a week, 18% say they eat it two to three times a week, and 4% of them eat it every day.

Out West, 22% of Canadians living on the Prairies chew gum every day, although just over the Rockies, only 14% of British Columbians say they chew gum every day.

The report, commissioned by the Confectionery Manufacturers Association of Canada, says those most likely to turn to candy to reward themselves are found first in Quebec and second in Atlantic Canada.

In b.c., however, residents of that province were least likely to reward themselves with candy.

Nationally, 71% of Canadians eat chocolate at least once a month, and 52% of Canadians eat some kind of candy at least once a month.

As for which sex has the sweetest tooth, 57% of Canadians say it is women, 27% say it is men, and 13% say the sexes are equal.

The release of the Canadian ‘Sweeten Up’ survey was timed to match a major confectionery sampling program at shopping malls in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal Sept. 8-18.

The survey, conducted Aug. 5-16, is accurate for the whole population, plus or minus 2.6 percentage points 19 times out of 20.