Health & Healthcare

Mars Endorses Limitation On Added Sugars; Supports Us Government Labeling Recommendation

May 8, 2015 1:15 PM ET

MCLEAN, Va., May 8, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Mars, Incorporated is supporting two important recommendations designed to help consumers limit their intake of added sugars and achieve healthier, more balanced diets.

The company has endorsed a recommendation by the world's leading health authorities—including the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition—that people should limit their intake of added sugars to no more than 10% of total calorie intake.

Additionally, in comments provided to the US Dietary Guidelines Committee, Mars has signaled its support for a new US Government proposal to include an 'added sugars' declaration in the Nutrition Facts panel on all food packaging. The company's comments to the sugar daily value and added sugars declaration proposal can be viewed at Mars.com.

So called "added sugars" are sugars and syrups added to foods to improve sweetness, structure, texture, and shelf-life. These are distinct from sugars that are "intrinsic" to foods, such as lactose in dairy, or fructose and glucose in bananas.

"We want people to enjoy Mars brands as part of a well-balanced diet," said Dave Crean, Global Head of Research & Development at Mars, Incorporated. "With this in mind, we support the recommendation of global health experts that consumers limit their intake of added sugars to 10% of their calorie intake. In the US, we have a further opportunity to help people achieve their dietary goals by supporting the government's proposal to include added sugars in the Nutrition Facts panel. It just makes good sense."

Mars makes a wide assortment of brands popular with consumers around the world, including M&Ms, Snickers, Uncle Ben's Rice, Dolmio, and Doublemint. Mars' commitment to help reduce intake of added sugars to less than 10% of total calorie intake, and support for the new transparent labeling proposal, build on steps taken over time to help consumers achieve their nutritional goals.

Mars currently:

  • Includes Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labeling on all chocolate, food and sugar confectionery products
  • Limits its confectionery products to no more than 250 kcal per serving
  • Offers a wide array of sugar-free and low-sugar Wrigley gum products
  • Has reformulated products to eliminate trans fatty acids
  • Has reduced salt and saturated fats in its product portfolio
  • Adheres to a strict Marketing Code that does not allow marketing communications to children under 12 for food, chocolate, confections and gum products

Going forward, Mars will:

  • Support new labeling approaches (on pack and digital), where such approaches are supported by a coalition of science and nutrition experts, regulators, retailers, industry leaders, and NGOs
  • Increase the number of our chocolate confections below 200 kcal per pack
  • Continue our efforts to improve the nutritional composition of our product portfolio
  • Promote the oral health benefits of sugar-free gum

More information on the company's efforts to support dietary and oral health can be found at Mars.com.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business with more than a century of history and some of the best-loved brands in the world including M&M'S®, PEDIGREE®, DOUBLEMINT® and UNCLE BEN'S®. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars has more than $33 billion in sales from six diverse business segments: Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 75,000 Associates across 73 countries are united by the company's Five Principles: Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, Mutuality and Freedom and strive every day to create relationships with stakeholders that deliver growth we are proud of as a company. 

For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.