US chocolate maker Hershey has filed a lawsuit against confectionery rival Mars Inc, accusing it of copying Hershey’s packaging for its Dove Promise squares. The lawsuit, filed in the federal district court of Pennsylvania last week, argues that Mars packaged its Dove peanut butter chocolate Promise squares in such a way that it mimics the patented orange, brown and tan wrappings of Reece’s peanut butter chocolate products. Hershey said in the complaint that the use of the colours is... ...Read more »

US conglomerate ConAgra Foods has joined forces with Mars Inc to launch a range of confectionery for the Christmas season. ConAgra’s Peter Pan peanut butter brand and Mars’ M&M’s Holiday milk chocolate candies have joined to create three products, the manufacturers announced yesterday (23 November). Holly Jolly Peanut Butter Cookies, Jingle Bell Balls and Holiday Magic Peanut Clusters will be promoted on Facebook and via 5m on-pack lid stickers for the Peter Pan brand. As part... ...Read more »

Mars Inc is to restructure its global chocolate operations in a bid to make the company more focused and competitive in the marketplace. The US-based food group told just-food last night (21 October) that the realignment would take place worldwide although final decisions were still to be made on the details of the revamp. Earlier this week, UK reports said the Mars bar, Snickers and Galaxy maker was restructuring its business in the country. However, Alison Clarke, corporate affairs director... ...Read more »

Confectionery giant Mars Inc has launched two chocolate bars and three ice-cream lines in the US.Mars unveiled Snickers Peanut Butter Squared and Twix Coconut Cookie Bars at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show in Atlanta. The company also launched ice-cream flavours under the Snickers, Twix and Milky Way brands. “At Mars Chocolate North America, we strive to help our retailers drive profit by providing them with innovative new products, exciting consumer promotions and... ...Read more »

A collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture and chocolate giant Mars, Inc has announced the preliminary release of the sequenced genome of the cacao tree. The data is expected to help sustain the supply of high-quality cocoa to the $17 billion US chocolate industry and protect the livelihoods of small farmers around the world. Cocoa comes from the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao. The tree’s seeds are processed into cocoa beans, which are the source of cocoa, cocoa butter and chocolate.... ...Read more »

The Wrigley Company has begun production of Eclipse mints at its factory in Asquith, Sydney, marking the end of imports for Australia’s leading mints brand. “The new line will meet demand for all Eclipse Mints for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands and help us continue to drive investment at retail and grow the category,” said Wrigley Pacific Managing Director Hamish Thomson. “Eclipse Mints have recorded fantastic growth in Australia, seizing market leadership within... ...Read more »

Chocolate giant Mars Inc has cut the saturated fat content across its brands in the UK. From September, Mars will cut the saturated fat in its Mars, Snickers, Milky Way and Topic bars by 15%, the firm said yesterday. The move is part of a EUR10m investment by the firm and will see the removal of around 600 tonnes of saturated fat per year from its brands, the chocolate maker said. Fiona Dawson, managing director, Mars Chocolate UK said: “Having been the nation’s favourite for 78 years,... ...Read more »

Mars, together with SwissContact will supply technical input and train the trainer support for the new PEKA program in the Indonesian region of Aceh. SwissContact is a development organization of the Swiss private sector that provides support to entrepreneurial individuals in developing and transition economies.  This agreement continues to keep “farmer’s first”, helping to ensure the growth and the development of the Indonesian cocoa sector starting at the farmer level, based... ...Read more »

Food industry heavyweights including Nestlé, Kellogg and Mars Inc have pledged to use responsible advertising and marketing in India.General Mills and local Unilever arm Hindustan Unilever are also among the companies that have signed up to a code to not advertise food and beverages products where more than half of a media audience is under 12. Products that only fulfil “specific nutritional criteria based on accepted scientific evidence and/or applicable national and international dietary... ...Read more »

New findings indicate that cocoa flavanols may be an important part of a healthy diet for people with cardiovascular disease, which affects more than 80 million Americans, according to research by a team of internationally-renowned researchers, including scientists from Mars, Incorporated. The breakthrough study published in the prestigious Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) found that daily cocoa flavanol consumption more than doubled the number of circulating angiogenic cells... ...Read more »