Mars Raises Bar on Nutritional Content
Filled confectionery bars from Mars Snackfood UK are being re-launched and positioned with new recipes and nutritional information featured on their packaging. Initially going out across Europe, Mars, Twix, Milky Way and Snickers will all become free from artificial colors, flavorings and preservatives. Each one will have labels detailing guideline daily amounts for the intake of calories, fats (including saturates) sugar and salt.
The 'Raising the bar' campaign is designed to demonstrate the company's "commitment to improving the nutritional credentials of chocolate. It is also a first for Mars to be including multiple brands in a single advert," according to Fiona Dawson, managing director for Mars Snackfood. Ms. Dawson added, "The creatives produced for this project are bold and punchy...Our work in this area goes much further than these product changes, however, and this campaign is just the first step in our plans to make positive, meaningful changes to our confectionery products and the way we do business."
Saturated fats across all products will be reduced in the near future. In addition, funsize Milky Way, Maltesers, Mars and Twix will contain less than 100 calories each. Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager for Mars UK, told just-food, "Consumers just want to know what is in the products they buy and this is our way of helping them do that."
The 'Raising the bar' campaign has been used since 2006 but this is the first time that Mars has marketed to consumers emphasizing nutritional improvements to their snack products. Advertisements will substitute the brand name with a nutritional message and will appear in national and women's consumer press in the UK from September 9.
Discussion questions: What do you think of Mars' push to emphasize nutrition in its candy bars in ingredients and labeling? Do you think other candy companies will follow suit?