Mintel defines gum as: chewing gum and bubble gum in stick, pellet and other forms, and includes specialized medical products, such as nicotine gum for antismoking, and dental care gum that aids the health of teeth and gums. Mints are included in all forms, whether in tubes, bags, tins, or plastic boxes.

There is no longer a hard line that can be drawn between gum, mints, breath fresheners, and candy, so Mintel has made every effort to divide the market in the way that will be most useful to the industry. The segments analyzed are:

Regular gum

Sugarless gum, excluding dental gum

Dental gum

Antismoking gum

Breath strips

Breath freshening mints

Candy mints

In addition to segments, the report analyzes performance of the gum and mints category by company and brand, concentrating on rapid product development and emerging trends. These changes have not only put new and different products on shelves, but have altered the way they are sold at retail, creating opportunities within manufacturers (as, for instance, confectionery and pharmaceutical divisions work together), to launch various licensing prospects. This report contains US IRI InfoScan data.