Making Chocolate Better

Society is faced by many health challenges. Mars wants to be part of the solution and is committed to leading the chocolate industry to a healthier environment.

Most chocolate lovers know and understand that chocolate is a bonus food. It represents less than two per cent of calorie intake of the diet of Australian adults.

We all understand the simple formula of ‘calories in’ versus ‘calories out’. The reality is that, in a society with an abundance of offering and choice some consumers are struggling to regulate their intake.

The issue is ‘Big’ food, not ‘Bad’ food. The consumer is not demanding change to chocolate - they love our products and clearly understand the role they play in their diet. However, these are times when we have to make decisions that are right and are for the long-term sustainability of our consumers and to provide leadership to the industry.

As a result at Mars we have been renovating and reformulating our products.

Raising The Bar

In June 2009 we launched our ‘Raising The Bar’ Print Education Campaign nationally so consumers could learn how Mars is ‘Making Chocolate Better’. Our products are a treat and we know that consumers are concerned about nutrition labelling and portion sizes. We know that consumers are passionate about our brands and that is why we are RAISING THE BAR.

We will continue to investigate ways to provide consumers with information about Mars and our commitment to tackling Big Food.

Portion sizes

At Mars we have looked at serving sizes through various nutritional lenses knowing that a treat should be no more than 10 per cent of your daily energy intake.

  • We have reduced the size of our famous Mars Bar by more than 11%.
  • By reducing portion size we are eliminating 14.7 billion calories from the Australian food supply.
  • All of our Fun Sized bars (“A little bit of...” range) are now less than 100 calories.
  • We launched 100 calorie and 250 calorie chocolate bars and, in April 2009, MARS® Bars moved from 60grams to 53 grams.
  • SNICKERS has moved from 60g to 53g and TWIX from 58g to 55g. We will continue to look at developing products in smaller serving sizes as well as looking at their caloric density.
  • M&Ms have moved from 250 calories to 200 calories.
  • As you can imagine, making this change was a significant move for us, reinforced by our belief that “Big Food” is an issue in society.

We are still offering consumers high quality and great value for money. This will never be compromised. At the end of the day, Mars is being transparent and honest with our consumers. We will continue to keep our consumers updated of our commitment to Making Chocolate Better over the coming months.

Mars will continue to reformulate existing products and research innovations that offer more options for our consumers. By eating the healthy, balanced way, all foods - including a treat - can be enjoyed!

Nutrition labelling

  • By the end of 2010, 100% of products will have %DI on front-of-pack so chocolate-lovers will know exactly what they’re eating.
  • The “Be Treatwise” logo is on our packaging to remind consumers to snack responsibly.

Responsible snacking

  • To offer consumer more choice we developed Mars RED. Mars RED is a viable great tasting option for consumers looking for a lower fat treat (Mars RED is 50% less fat than the average leading chocolate bar brands).
  • King Size is made two pieces - one for now and one for later.
  • We’re developing packaging to encourage chocolate lovers to snack wisely.

Artificial colours and flavours

  • We are working on new recipes that will see three out of the five colours used in M&Ms® moving to natural colouring

Saturated Fat

We are working towards reducing the saturated fat of the standard MARS® Bars by 22%

Cocoa Flavanols

DOVE® dark chocolate is made using the MARS ‘CocoaPro®’ process which retains the natural flavanol content of cocoa

Benefits of Cocoa »