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Tag: Mars Inc.

  • King-Sized Candy: It’s Still Out There

    In 2012 Mars Inc., the company that makes Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, and Dove chocolate bars, made a plan to stop selling king-sized candy, or products that have more than 250 calories per serving.

    Though some questioned whether this had to do with the price of cocoa, Mars insisted that it was a part of a health and nutrition effort.

    “Mars has a broad-based commitment to health and nutrition, and this includes a number of global initiatives,” the company said in a statement.

    In 2007, Mars also changed the wrapping on their chocolate products, putting calorie counts directly on the front, reducing saturated fat, and eliminating trans fat.

    Changes like that can make those like Brad Dixon of Oklahoma, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, more aware. But is it the marketing of Mars, Inc. or something else that motivates Dixon and those like him to change their lifestyles?

    29-year old Dixon recalls a friend who was also diagnosed with diabetes but who wouldn’t stop eating the king-sized candy bars.

    “I’ll just take more insulin,” he told Dixon. A few months later, doctors had to amputate one of the man’s feet.

    “I absolutely was not going to let that happen,” Dixon said. “No matter what I had to do.”

    So why is Mars king-sized candy still out there? Simply searching for “king-sized” candy online can bring up numerous products, including an Amazon listing of Snickers 2 To Go (formally King Size). Instead of one large bar, the package contains 2 bars in a resealable package.

    The same is true for other Mars products, including 3 Musketeers King Size, M&Ms, and Milky Way. There is even a Snickers 3X Chocolate, a 3.14 ounce bar divided into two pieces. Each piece is only 210 calories and the wrapping is resealable but, honestly, how many consumers are going to only eat one piece once they have opened it?

    Despite Mars’ campaign to promote a healthier lifestyle, it seems as if their new products are just a new way of packaging and reducing cost.

    In 2009, Mars UK was accused of smokescreening and finally admitted that the change in the size of the candy bars was, in fact, not due to a major public health initiative but was triggered by rising costs.

    “Like all food manufacturers, we have seen continued cost increases over the last few years,” they said in a statement. “We look to absorb the vast majority of these costs by being more efficient, but on occasion we have to consider increasing prices. By slightly reducing portion sizes on Mars and Snickers we were able to continue to responsibly meet consumer demands for healthier lifestyles whilst not increasing our prices.”

    On airplanes, passengers cannot bring any liquids on board that are larger than three ounces. Therefore, passengers have learned to bring multiple three oz bottles filled with the same liquid.

    The same is true of candy bars. If the consumer wants more than 250 calories worth, all they have to do is purchase twice as many. Interesting marketing, Mars Inc. But don’t pretend it’s for the overall health of the public.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • King-Size Candy Bars Are Dead, Long Live The King

    In recent years, many popular snacks have become smaller in size. Though it may have been more about money than health.

    For Mars Inc., the decision to do away with “king-size” items is all about health and nutrition. The candy company, which makes M&Ms, Twix, and Snickers among others, has said that it intends to stop selling products that contain more than 250 calories per serving.

    According to the Chicago Tribune, the initiative was laid out in 2012 with plans to stop shipping out the king-size version of their popular candies by the end of 2013.

    Their king-size candies were probably never meant to be consumed all at once or even all by one person. But for those who did, they were taking in a whopping 510 calories with the king-size Snickers bar alone.

    That’s more than ¼ the average calories a person is expected to eat in an entire day!

    Calories aren’t the only concern for Mars. The company also intends to cut back on sodium levels by as much as 25 percent by 2015.

    “Mars has a broad-based commitment to health and nutrition,” said the company in a statement. They added that this commitment “includes a number of global initiatives.”

    Perhaps that initiative will be to be mindful of the serving sizes made available to customers. The soon to be defunct king-size Snickers only had a serving size of ⅓ the entire product. Let’s be honest: Exactly how many people break or cut off a third of a candy bar in order to be “calorie conscious?”

    It may be up to Mars to simply sell their products in portions more agreeable with what’s healthiest for consumers rather than trust these persons to always check the portions and serving sizes.

    A big question with regard to this change has got to come down to the pricing.

    As I said, it’s not beyond companies to shrink their serving sizes but raise their prices to make a profit.

    While Mars Inc.’s aim may be noble, if prices on the tinier versions of their chocolate go up, people may pass on their candy for reasons having nothing to do with health.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Rice Recall: Mars, Inc. Recalls Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Products

    The massive rice recall may leave grocery shelves bare of Uncle Ben’s rice products for quite some time.

    Government officials are currently investigating a number of illnesses that have been directly associated with the brand’s infused rice products.

    Mars, Inc. has voluntarily recalled the infused flavored rice products “out of an abundance of caution” after being notified of illnesses that occurred at three different schools in the Houston, TX area.

    At the time, the dominant complaints were “allergic-like symptoms of mild flushing and rash.” The incident resulted in the company removing all infused rice products from its supply chain.

    “Our network of distributors, brokers, and sales associates immediately started notifying their customers and collecting the product,” Mars Foodservices said.

    Once the massive food processing company noticed that “a limited number” of sales were completed through websites and wholesalers, the executive decision to announce a massive recall was enforced.(image)

    “Therefore, we initiated the voluntary recall to ensure that anyone in possession of the product is aware that it should not be served or eaten, but returned to where it was purchased,” Mars Foodservices said.

    However, the problem garnered national attention when health officials also reiterated the recall on Friday, Feb. 7 after students and faculty members became ill at a school in Katy, TX.

    The El Paso Times featured a report issued by The Associated Press that revealed students developed specified, allergy-like symptoms such as burning, itching, rashes, headaches and nausea. Although the symptoms passed after approximately two hours, health officials are dedicated to uncovering the direct cause of the problem.(image)

    According to the Food and Drug Administration, a possible overdose of an essential vitamin may be the cause of the mysterious allergy-like symptoms linked to the Uncle Ben’s infused rice products. However, the information has not been confirmed as of yet.

    The Recall Product List Includes:

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Roasted Chicken Flavor (5- and 25-pound bags)

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Garlic and Butter Flavor (5-pound bags)

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Mexican Flavor (5- and 25-pound bags)

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Pilaf (5-pound bags)

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Saffron Flavor (5-pound bags)

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Cheese Flavor (5-pound bags)

    – Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice Spanish Flavor (25-pound bags)

    Image via Facebook | Mars, Inc. (1) (2) (3)