Mars, Incorporated
Encyclopedia
Mars, Incorporated is a worldwide manufacturer of confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...

, pet food, and other food products with US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

30 billion in annual sales in 2010, and is ranked as the 5th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...

. Headquartered in McLean
McLean, Virginia
McLean is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia. The community had a total population of 48,115 as of the 2010 census....

, unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...

, USA, the company is entirely owned by the Mars family
Mars family
The Mars family is a family that owns the confectionery company Mars, Inc., bearing their name. The family was called the richest family in America by Fortune magazine in 1988, since surpassed by the Walton family....

. Mars operates in six business segments in the U.S.: Chocolate (Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....

), Petcare (Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin, Tennessee
Franklin is a city within and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 62,487 as of the 2010 census Franklin is located approximately south of downtown Nashville.-History:...

), Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...

 (Chicago, Illinois), Food (Los Angeles, California), Drinks (West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...

), and Symbioscience (Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...

).

History

Mars is known for its confectionery products such as Milky Way
Milky Way bar
The Milky Way bar is a chocolate bar distributed by the Mars confectionery company. The American version of the Milky Way bar is made of chocolate-malt nougat topped with caramel and covered with milk chocolate and is very similar to the Mars bar sold in other countries...

, M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...

, Twix
Twix
Twix is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Inc., consisting of a biscuit finger, topped with caramel and coated in milk chocolate. Being somewhat smaller in width than other confectionery bars, Twix bars are typically packaged in pairs...

, Skittles
Skittles (confectionery)
Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavoured sweets, currently produced and marketed by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a division of Mars, Inc. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter S. The inside is mainly sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid,...

, Snickers
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....

, and the Mars bar
Mars Bar
Mars is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. It was first manufactured in Slough, Berkshire in the United Kingdom in 1932 as a sweeter version of the US Milky Way bar which Mars, Inc. produced...

. They also produce non-confectionery snacks (including Combos
Combos
Combos, officially called Combos Snacks, invented in the mid 1970s, are a snack food created and distributed by Mars, Incorporated, and sold throughout North America...

) and other foods (including Uncle Ben's
Uncle Ben's
Uncle Ben's is a brand name for parboiled rice and related food products. The brand was introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which was later bought by Mars, Inc....

 and British pasta sauce brand Dolmio
Dolmio
Dolmio is the brand name of a range of pasta sauces made by Mars. They range from jars of sauces to express style packets.Dolmio are the current sponsors of the long running ITV1 magazine show This Morning.-Australia:...

) as well as pet foods (such as Whiskas
Whiskas
Whiskas is a brand of cat food sold throughout the world. It is owned by the American group Mars, Incorporated. It is available either as meat-like pieces in cans, pouches, or dry biscuits. Most packaging is a recognisable purple colour.-History:...

 and Pedigree
Pedigree Petfoods
Pedigree Petfoods is a subsidiary of the american group Mars, Incorporated specializing in pet food, with factories in Great Britain at Melton Mowbray, Peterborough and Birstall, Leeds; and offices at Waltham-on-the-Wolds.-Manchester:...

 brands). Orbit gum is among the most popular brands.

Mars was founded by Frank C. Mars
Frank C. Mars
Franklin Clarence Mars , sometimes known as Frank C. Mars, was an American business magnate who founded the food company Mars, Incorporated, which makes mostly chocolate candy. Mars and his son Forrest Edward Mars developed M&M's.-Family:He was born in 1883 in Hancock, Minnesota...

 and is a company that is known for the confectionery items that it creates. Some well known products include: Milky Way, M & M’s, Snickers, and Hubba Bubba. They also create non-confectionery products such as Orbit, Dove, Uncle Ben’s, Flavia, and various pet foods.

Orbit chewing gum is owned by the brand Wrigley, which is owned by Mars. It has been around for a while and dates back to World War II. Wrigley at one time was only making their gum available to soldiers. Orbit was the gum that they made available to the public, but it was abandoned after the war. About 60 years later it made a comeback in America during the gum craze.

Frank C. Mars, whose mother taught him to hand dip candy, sold candy by age 19. The Mars Candy Factory he started in 1911 with Ethel V. Mars, his second wife, in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...

, ultimately failed but it had already become a large employer, producing and selling fresh candy wholesale. By 1920, Frank Mars had returned to his home state, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

, where the company was founded that year as Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 and later incorporated there as Mars, Incorporated. Forrest Mars, son of Frank Mars and his first wife who was also named Ethel, was inspired by a popular type of milkshake in 1923, to introduce the Milky Way bar, advertised as a "chocolate Malted Milk in a candy bar", and became the best-selling candy bar. In 1929, Frank moved the company to Chicago, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

 and started full production in a plant which still exists today. In 1932, Forrest started Mars Limited in the United Kingdom, and launched the Mars bar
Mars Bar
Mars is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. It was first manufactured in Slough, Berkshire in the United Kingdom in 1932 as a sweeter version of the US Milky Way bar which Mars, Inc. produced...

.

Mars is still a family owned business, belonging to the Mars family. The company is famous for its secrecy. A 1993 Washington Post Magazine article was a rare raising of the veil, as the reporter was able to see the "M"s being applied to the M&M's, something that "no out-sider had ever before been invited to observe." In 1999, for example, the company did not acknowledge that Forrest Mars, Sr., had died or that he had worked for the company.

The company published its Principles in Action communication in September 2011. This communication outlines the history of Mars, its legacy as a business committed to its Five Principles and the company’s goal of putting its Principles into action to make a difference to people and the planet through performance. Encompassing themes of Health and Nutrition, Supply Chain, Operations, Products and Working at Mars, the Principles in Action communication outlines Mars Incorporated’s targets, progress, and ongoing challenges. It also describes its businesses – including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience.

Mars, Incorporated has developed a reputation across its leading markets to be excellent training grounds for managers. In the United Kingdom for instance, many CEOs of large companies learned their trade at Mars, Inc., including former Mars executives Allan Leighton
Allan Leighton
Allan Leighton is an English businessman, former CEO of Asda and former non-executive Chairman of the Royal Mail.-Biography:Born in Hereford, the son of a Co-op stores manager, he was raised in Oxford...

 and Justin King
Justin King (businessman)
Justin Matthew King, CBE is a British businessman, who is the CEO of J Sainsbury plc, parent company of the supermarket chain Sainsbury's.King was previously Director of Food at Marks and Spencer and has held senior positions at Asda...

, the former appointed CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 of the supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...

 chain Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...

 and then the British postal service Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...

, with the latter presently the CEO of the retailer J Sainsbury plc. Recently, the company caught on to that and re-branded their employer brand to "Mars — The Ultimate Business School".

Moving into the fourth generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....

 of family ownership, the company recently passed from family leadership into non-family leadership; however, the business is still owned by the family. The global CEO of Mars, Inc. is Paul Michaels. Michaels is part of a new group of non-family management that has taken over since the retirement of John and Forrest Mars, Jr.
Forrest Mars, Jr.
Forrest Edward Mars, Jr. is the eldest son of Forrest Mars Sr. and grandson of Frank C. Mars, founders of the American candy company Mars, Incorporated...

. The family now oversees the business as a council or board of directors.

In the United States the company has manufacturing facilities in Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown, New Jersey
Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 9,724. The town is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....

; Albany, Georgia
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...

; Burr Ridge
Burr Ridge, Illinois
Burr Ridge is a suburb of Chicago, in Cook and DuPage Counties, Illinois. The population was 11,560 at the 2008 census.-Geography:Burr Ridge is located at ....

, Chicago and Mattoon, Illinois
Mattoon, Illinois
Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....

; Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is a city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,285 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bradley County...

; Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...

; Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania
Elizabethtown is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Harrisburg. Small factories existed at the turn of the century when the population in 1900 was 1,861. There was a slight increase in the next decade, with 1,970 people living in Elizabethtown in 1910. As of the 2000 census,...

; Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville, Mississippi
Greenville is a city in Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 48,633 at the 2000 census, but according to the 2009 census bureau estimates, it has since declined to 42,764, making it the eighth-largest city in the state. It is the county seat of Washington...

; Greenville
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....

 and Waco, Texas
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

; Henderson
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...

 and Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...

; Vernon, California
Vernon, California
Vernon is a city five miles south of downtown Los Angeles, California. The population was 112 at the 2010 United States Census, the smallest of any incorporated city in the state....

; Ft.Smith, Arkansas; Joplin, Missouri; Miami, Oklahoma; and Galena, Kansas. Their Canadian facilities are located in Bolton
Bolton, Ontario
Bolton is the most populated community in the town of Caledon, located in the Region of Peel, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. In regional documents, it is referred to as a 'Rural Service Centre'. It has 26,478 residents in 8,721 households...

 and Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...

.

Recent history

Mars's purchase of Doane Petcare Company in June 2007 significantly increased its position in the U.S. dry pet food category. In addition to these businesses, Mars also operates a chain of premium chocolate shops across the United States called Ethel's. These shops are an outgrowth of the Ethel M premium chocolate business that Forrest Mars started in Las Vegas in 1980 when he became bored with retirement.

On April 28, 2008, Mars, Incorporated, together with Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated, announced the buyout of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...

, the world's largest chewing gum producer, for $23 billion in an all-cash deal. The two companies together are expected to generate sales in excess of $27 billion.

The company spent more than $1.8 million on lobbying during 2008, almost all of it at Patton Boggs
Patton Boggs
Patton Boggs is a full service law firm and lobbyist headquartered in Washington, D.C. It has more than 600 lawyers and professionals in nine locations in the United States and the Middle East. Patton Boggs specializes in , , , , international and trade law with over 200 international clients from...

, where it has long been one of the largest lobbying clients. Mars also spent $10,000 at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates , founded in 1948, is a prominent law firm based in New York City. With over 2,000 attorneys, it is one of the largest and highest-grossing law firms in the world. Forbes magazine calls Skadden "Wall Street's most powerful law firm"...

. In 2009, Mars also hired Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....

 to lobby on corporate and international tax issues, including issues related to tax changes proposed by the Obama administration. The company spent another $1,655,000 that year.

Until sold in June 2006, a division of Mars known as Mars Electronics International
MEI (company)
MEI is one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic bill validators, coin acceptors and changers. MEI has over 36 years experience manufacturing cash handling systems. Originally founded as a division of Mars Incorporated, MEI was spun off to private investment interests in July...

 produced, among other products, coin mechanisms such as those used in vending machines. MEI also manufactured bill validators, which were among the most common bill validators found in the US.

A further Mars business — Four Square — utilize those products formerly made at MEI in their vending machines. Four Square comprises the Flavia and Klix brands. Flavia operates within the US, UK and Japanese markets, while Klix operates within UK, Germany and France.

In 2007, Mars, Incorporated undertook a major rebranding operation which saw, among other global changes, Four Square being renamed to Mars Drinks, the pet food division (formerly part of Masterfoods) being renamed to Mars Petfoods and Masterfoods itself (the largest division of Mars, Incorporated) being renamed to Mars Snacks.

Masterfoods

The European division is headquartered in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

, Belgium, and was known as Masterfoods Europe until the end of 2007. The name Masterfoods originally came from a food business founded by the Lewis family in 1949 in Australia, and acquired by Mars in 1967. The Canadian division
Mars Canada Ltd
Mars Canada Ltd is the Canadian division of Mars, Incorporated, a privately held multi-national company and a world leader in food, pet care products, and confectionery products.- Company history :...

 (formerly Effem Inc.) is based in Bolton, Ontario
Bolton, Ontario
Bolton is the most populated community in the town of Caledon, located in the Region of Peel, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. In regional documents, it is referred to as a 'Rural Service Centre'. It has 26,478 residents in 8,721 households...

.

The company announced at the end of 2007 that all business units were adopting the name Mars. Masterfoods ceased to be a business name but continues as the brand name of food products in Australia.

Mars Fishcare

In February 2003, Mars acquired Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (API, incorporated in 1964) and in 2007 it was renamed Mars Fishcare, Inc. The company manufactures and supplies home aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...

 and pond
Garden pond
A garden pond is a water feature constructed in a garden or designed landscape, normally for aesthetic purposes and/or to provide wildlife habitat.-Habitat:...

 products. Mars Fishcare brands include: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (API), RENA, AQUARIAN, and PondCare.

Mars Food UK Limited

Mars Food UK Limited is the name of the British branch of Mars, Inc. The company is based in Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...

, UK. Mars brands manufactured for the UK market but not for the US include Maltesers
Maltesers
Maltesers are a confectionery product manufactured by Mars, Incorporated.Maltesers consist of a roughly spherical malt honeycomb centre, surrounded by Milk chocolate. They are most popular in the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Poland, France, Hong Kong, and Portugal...

 and Tunes
Tunes (sweet)
Tunes is a brand of lozenge manufactured by The Wrigley Company in the UK. It is marketed as a cough sweet or anti-congestant lozenge, containing eucalyptus oil and menthol. It is a relative of the now discontinued Spangles brand, and shares the same packaging and dimensions of that brand...

.

In 1932, Forrest Mars, Sr., opened what was then Mars (Europe) headquarters, and remains Mars (UK) headquarters in Slough, UK on the then-new Slough Trading Estate
Slough Trading Estate
The Slough Trading Estate founded in Slough, Berkshire in 1920, was an early business park in the United Kingdom. According to the estate's owners and operators, SEGRO , Slough Trading Estate consists of of commercial property in Slough and provides of accommodation to 500 businesses and has...

 after a disagreement with his father, Frank C. Mars
Frank C. Mars
Franklin Clarence Mars , sometimes known as Frank C. Mars, was an American business magnate who founded the food company Mars, Incorporated, which makes mostly chocolate candy. Mars and his son Forrest Edward Mars developed M&M's.-Family:He was born in 1883 in Hancock, Minnesota...

. In this factory, he produced the first Mars bar
Mars Bar
Mars is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. It was first manufactured in Slough, Berkshire in the United Kingdom in 1932 as a sweeter version of the US Milky Way bar which Mars, Inc. produced...

, based on the American Milky Way
Milky Way bar
The Milky Way bar is a chocolate bar distributed by the Mars confectionery company. The American version of the Milky Way bar is made of chocolate-malt nougat topped with caramel and covered with milk chocolate and is very similar to the Mars bar sold in other countries...

. In 1936, Mars separated the vanilla version of Milky Way to a separate brand, Forever Yours, which was discontinued and later reintroduced as Milky Way Dark and later still, Milky Way Midnight.

Many brands which were later introduced in the US were first created and sold in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

; these include Starburst
Starburst (confectionery)
Starburst is the brand name of a cuboid-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated...

, Skittles
Skittles (confectionery)
Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavoured sweets, currently produced and marketed by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a division of Mars, Inc. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter S. The inside is mainly sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid,...

, Twix
Twix
Twix is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Inc., consisting of a biscuit finger, topped with caramel and coated in milk chocolate. Being somewhat smaller in width than other confectionery bars, Twix bars are typically packaged in pairs...

, Snickers
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....

 and Topic
Topic (chocolate bar)
Topic is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated in France and sold throughout Europe and the United States. It contains hazelnuts, nougat and caramel....

.

The bar formerly sold in the U.S. as the Mars bar is now marketed in that country as the Snickers Almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...

 Bar and is not sold consistently in the UK where it has appeared with other special editions that are released occasionally.

Milky Way
Milky Way bar
The Milky Way bar is a chocolate bar distributed by the Mars confectionery company. The American version of the Milky Way bar is made of chocolate-malt nougat topped with caramel and covered with milk chocolate and is very similar to the Mars bar sold in other countries...

 in Europe and worldwide is known as the 3 Musketeers
3 Musketeers (candy)
3 Musketeers is a candy bar made in the United States by Mars, Incorporated. It is a chocolate-covered fluffy whipped chocolate bar. The 3 Musketeers Bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars, introduced in 1932. Originally, it had three pieces in one package, flavored...

 in America. Similarly, the Snickers
Snickers
Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....

 bar was previously marketed in Britain and the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 as Marathon until 1990; in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, also until 1990; Galaxy
Galaxy (chocolate)
Galaxy is a brand of milk chocolate made and marketed by Mars Incorporated. It is one of several related products punning upon the name Mars by using an astronomical name...

 is known as Dove
Dove (chocolate)
Dove is a brand of chocolate made and marketed by the Mars company.- History :...

 in America and the Middle East; and Starburst
Starburst (confectionery)
Starburst is the brand name of a cuboid-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated...

 was known in the UK and Ireland as Opal Fruits until 1998. Chocolate and peanut M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...

 were introduced in 1990.

Factories

The two factories in Slough were located on Liverpool Road and Dundee Road; the one on Liverpool Road closed in 2007, with Twix and Starburst production moving to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

In 1963 a large factory was opened in Veghel
Veghel
Veghel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.Since 1994 Veghel and the neighbouring village of Erp have formed a single municipality.Veghel is twinned with Goch in Germany.- Population centres :*Boerdonk*Eerde*Erp*Keldonk...

, the Netherlands. This factory has currently the biggest production volume of Mars factories and is even one of the biggest chocolate factories in the world. Most confectionery products for Europe are produced in Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...

, UK and Veghel
Veghel
Veghel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.Since 1994 Veghel and the neighbouring village of Erp have formed a single municipality.Veghel is twinned with Goch in Germany.- Population centres :*Boerdonk*Eerde*Erp*Keldonk...

, the Netherlands.

The major production plant for Mars products in Australia is in Ballarat, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

.

Mars Drinks UK

Mars Drinks UK, the drinks division of Mars Limited, operates from Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...

 in Hampshire and specialises in office vending machines. Mars Drinks UK comprises the FLAVIA and Klix brands which offer branded drinks such as the Starburst Orange Drink
Starburst
Starburst may refer to:*Starburst region, a generic term to describe a region of space with a much higher than normal star formation*Starburst galaxy*Starburst , the breaking up of a large company...

, the Maltesers Hot Chocolate
Maltesers
Maltesers are a confectionery product manufactured by Mars, Incorporated.Maltesers consist of a roughly spherical malt honeycomb centre, surrounded by Milk chocolate. They are most popular in the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Poland, France, Hong Kong, and Portugal...

 and the Galaxy
Galaxy (chocolate)
Galaxy is a brand of milk chocolate made and marketed by Mars Incorporated. It is one of several related products punning upon the name Mars by using an astronomical name...

 drinks.

Nevertheless, Mars is not only the producer of chocolate bars and gum. Mars is also a producer of other items such as coffee and the equipment used to make it. In 1982 Flavia was created out of the high demand for coffee in the United Kingdom. However, back then Flavia was known as “Dimension 3” until 1989. It was introduced in France and Germany in 1986 and Japan in 1992 then brought to the United States in 1996. Quickly enough, Mar’s Flavia coffee spread to Canada in 1997. With their business booming, they started manufacturing other products such as cappuccino in 2002 and tea in 2004.
http://lifestyle.ezinemark.com/flavia-coffee-a-potted-history-16b848870e5.html
- Maria Zavala

Criticism

From May 1, 2007, many Mars products made in the UK became unsuitable for vegetarians. The company announced that it would be using whey
Whey
Whey or Milk Serum is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is manufactured during the making of rennet types of hard cheese like cheddar or Swiss cheese...

 made with animal rennet
Rennet
Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids and liquid...

 (material from a calf's stomach lining, and a byproduct of veal
Veal
Veal is the meat of young cattle , as opposed to meat from older cattle. Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds...

), instead of using rennet made by microorganisms, in products including Mars, Twix, Snickers, Maltesers, Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way. The response from many thousands of consumers, particularly the Vegetarian Society
Vegetarian Society
The Vegetarian Society is a British registered charity established on 30 September 1847 to "support, represent and increase the number of vegetarians in the UK."-History:...

's request for UK vegetarians to register their protests with Mars, generated a lot of press, and caused the company to abandon these plans shortly thereafter. It has reportedly decided to switch to all-vegetarian sources in the near future in the UK.
In January 2008, the Metro newspaper reported that Mars had allegedly begun to incorporate animal-derived rennet.

Mars has come under criticism by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...

 for funding animal tests which the group alleges are inhumane. One study was conducted in collaboration with the Salk Institute regarding angiogenesis
Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is the physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels. Though there has been some debate over terminology, vasculogenesis is the term used for spontaneous blood-vessel formation, and intussusception is the term for the formation of new blood...

 and spatial memory
Spatial memory
In cognitive psychology and neuroscience, spatial memory is the part of memory responsible for recording information about one's environment and its spatial orientation. For example, a person's spatial memory is required in order to navigate around a familiar city, just as a rat's spatial memory is...

 in which mice were given an ad libitum
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...

diet that included epicatechin, plant-derived flavonoid. One of the experiments involved groups of control and experimental animals, the latter of which were housed in a cage that included a running wheel for optional exercise for two hours a day, the former did not have access to a running wheel. Another experiment was the classical spacial memory assay, the Morris water maze
Morris water maze
The Morris water navigation task is a behavioral procedure widely used in behavioral neuroscience to study spatial learning and memory. It was developed by neuroscientist Richard G...

. The study showed that the inclusion of epicatechin in the diet improved memory and angiogenesis, and more so if coupled with exercise.

Mars has been criticized for buying cocoa beans from West African farmers who reportedly use unpaid or poorly paid child laborers. In 2009, Mars announced that, as of 2010, the company would only purchase cocoa from suppliers who meet environmental, labor and production standards. TransFair USA
Transfair USA
Fair Trade USA, formerly "TransFair USA" is a 501 non-profit organization.Founded in 1998, Fair Trade USA’s mission is to "enable sustainable development and community empowerment by cultivating a more equitable global trade model that benefits farmers, workers, consumers, industry and the earth"...

, an organization which certifies products as Fair Trade, applauded the move and expressed hope that it would include a provision for fair wages for laborers and farmers. In 2010, Mars Inc. received the U.S. Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence. In April 2010, Mars launched the MyCocoaPaper initiative, which claims to provide economic opportunities to women and families in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

 by making paper products out of cocoa bark and recycled office paper.

In 2011, Mars and Fairtrade International announced an agreement to introduce the first Fairtrade labeled Mars product and to work together to enable farmers to have sustainable livelihoods and substantially increased productivity. The first Mars product to carry the Fairtrade mark will be Maltesers, to appear in stores in 2012 in the UK and Ireland.

Products

Many of Mars's products are famous-name brands, including:
  • ADVANCE (dog and cat food, only in Australia and New Zealand)
  • 3 Musketeers
    3 Musketeers (candy)
    3 Musketeers is a candy bar made in the United States by Mars, Incorporated. It is a chocolate-covered fluffy whipped chocolate bar. The 3 Musketeers Bar was the third brand produced and manufactured by M&M/Mars, introduced in 1932. Originally, it had three pieces in one package, flavored...

  • Altoids
    Altoids
    -Flavors and varieties:-Mints:Altoids mints are available in eight flavors: peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, cinnamon, ginger, liquorice, crème de menthe and cool honey. "Sugar-Free Smalls", tiny square mints sweetened with sorbitol and sucralose, are also available in peppermint, wintergreen,...

  • Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (Mars Fishcare)
  • Balisto
    Balisto
    Balisto is a wholemeal biscuit bar snack manufactured by Mars Incorporated, consisting of a digestive biscuit centre and a variety of milky cream toppings, and coated in milk chocolate....

  • Banfield, The Pet Hospital
    Banfield (pet hospitals)
    Banfield, the Pet Hospital is a privately owned company that operates veterinary clinics based in Portland, Oregon, United States. A subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated, Banfield owns clinics in the United States, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1955, the company operates many of its 700...

     (manage by MMI company)
  • Bounty
    Bounty (chocolate bar)
    Bounty is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars Incorporated and sold internationally. It is not marketed in the United States , where a similar product, Mounds, is marketed by Hershey's...

  • Buckeye Nutrition
  • Celebrations
    Celebrations
    Celebrations are a chocolate collection made by Mars, Incorporated, comprising miniature versions of Mars-produced chocolate bars. After the success of Celebrations, Cadbury UK released their own version, Miniature Heroes.-Contents:...

  • Cesar (dog food)
  • Chappi (dog food)
  • Cirku
  • CocoaVia
    CocoaVia
    -Brand Name Reintroduction:The CocoaVia line of snacks that was introduced in 2003 included snack bars , chocolate covered almonds and chocolate bars was discontinued in the United States in late 2008 or early 2009...

  • Combos
    Combos
    Combos, officially called Combos Snacks, invented in the mid 1970s, are a snack food created and distributed by Mars, Incorporated, and sold throughout North America...

  • Dolmio (pasta sauces)
  • Dove
    Dove (chocolate)
    Dove is a brand of chocolate made and marketed by the Mars company.- History :...

  • Ebly
  • Exelpet (Mars Petcare)
  • flavia
  • Fling
  • Flyte
    Flyte (chocolate bar)
    Flyte is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars, Incorporated weighing 45 grams.Each bar comes wrapped in two individual halves. It consists of a chocolatey, whipped nougat-style centre coated in milk chocolate. It is essentially the same as a UK Milky Way bar before the filling in Milky Way...

  • Galaxy
    Galaxy (chocolate)
    Galaxy is a brand of milk chocolate made and marketed by Mars Incorporated. It is one of several related products punning upon the name Mars by using an astronomical name...

     (alternative for the Dove range used in the UK, Ireland, and the Middle East)
  • Greenies (a bone to improve dogs' breath)
  • Kudos
    Kudos (granola bar)
    Kudos is a 1.07 oz milk chocolate granola cereal bar produced by Mars, Incorporated. It is currently offered in four varieties: M&Ms, chocolate chip, Snickers, and peanut butter....

  • Lockets
    Lockets
    Lockets are a confectionery product manufactured by Mars in the UK. They are sold as medicated supplement to help nasal congestion and sore throats....

     (now manufactured by the Mars subsidiary The Wrigley Company
    Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
    The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...

    )
  • M&M's
    M&M's
    M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...

  • Maltesers
    Maltesers
    Maltesers are a confectionery product manufactured by Mars, Incorporated.Maltesers consist of a roughly spherical malt honeycomb centre, surrounded by Milk chocolate. They are most popular in the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, Poland, France, Hong Kong, and Portugal...

  • Marathon (UK name for Snickers until it was renamed in 1990)
  • Mars bar
    Mars Bar
    Mars is a chocolate bar manufactured by Mars, Incorporated. It was first manufactured in Slough, Berkshire in the United Kingdom in 1932 as a sweeter version of the US Milky Way bar which Mars, Inc. produced...

  • Mars Delight
  • Mars Planets
  • Masterfoods
  • M-Azing
    M-Azing
    M-Azing is a candy bar manufactured by Mars Incorporated. M-Azing is a milk chocolate candy bar with M&M's Minis chocolate candies inside. It has been available in crunchy and peanut butter flavors, in singles and miniatures varieties.-History:...

  • Medi-Cal (Prescription Pet Food, Belong to Royal Canin Co.)
  • Milky Way
    Milky Way bar
    The Milky Way bar is a chocolate bar distributed by the Mars confectionery company. The American version of the Milky Way bar is made of chocolate-malt nougat topped with caramel and covered with milk chocolate and is very similar to the Mars bar sold in other countries...

  • Minstrels
    Minstrels (chocolate)
    Minstrels are milk chocolate buttons with a hard glazed shell sold in several countries including the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Cyprus, France, Malta, and Spain....

  • Munch Nut Bar
  • My Dog (Dog Food)
  • Nutro (2007 merged)
  • Pedigree
    Pedigree Petfoods
    Pedigree Petfoods is a subsidiary of the american group Mars, Incorporated specializing in pet food, with factories in Great Britain at Melton Mowbray, Peterborough and Birstall, Leeds; and offices at Waltham-on-the-Wolds.-Manchester:...

     (Pet Food)
  • Pill Pockets
  • Promite
    Promite
    Promite is the registered brand name for a dark brown, salty food paste mainly used as a spread on sandwiches and toast similar to the better known Vegemite and Marmite. Promite was invented in the 1950s by Dr. David Lewis of the family food company Henry Lewis & Company and marketed under the...

  • Revels
    Revels (confectionery)
    Revels are a chocolate coated confectionery with assorted centres made in Slough by Mars, Inc.Originally, Revels had orange creme, coconut, toffee, or peanut centres, along with Galaxy Counters and Maltesers...

  • Royal Canin
    Royal Canin
    Royal Canin is a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of premium dog and cat nutrition. It was founded in 1967 in a village of Gard, France, by the French veterinary surgeon, Jean Cathary....

     (Pet Food)
  • Schmackos
  • Seeds of Change
    Seeds of Change
    Seeds of Change is an organic seed and food company owned by Mars, Inc. Until summer 2010, the company was based in Santa Fe, New Mexico and produces of a line of processed organic foods including pasta sauces and salad dressings. Seeds of Change was founded in 1989 as a seed company specializing...

  • Seramis
  • Sheba (cat food)
    Sheba (cat food)
    Sheba is a brand of canned cat food produced by Mars, Incorporated.In January 2011, Mars Petcare US announced that Sheba would be discontinued and thus will no longer be available for purchase in the United States. A special webpage explained that the decision was based on economic factors: Sheba...

  • Skittles
    Skittles (confectionery)
    Skittles is a brand of fruit-flavoured sweets, currently produced and marketed by the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, a division of Mars, Inc. They have hard sugar shells which carry the letter S. The inside is mainly sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernel oil along with fruit juice, citric acid,...

     (now manufactured by the Mars subsidiary The Wrigley Company
    Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
    The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...

    )
  • Snickers Marathon Energy Bar
  • Snickers
    Snickers
    Snickers is a brand name chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated. It consists of peanut nougat topped with roasted peanuts and caramel, enrobed in milk chocolate. Snickers has annual global sales of $2 billion....

  • Spillers
    Spillers
    Spillers Ltd is a defunct British company that owned flour milling operations in the United Kingdom, operated bakeries and also sold pet food.Winalot is a popular brand of dog food sold by Spillers.The name was first used in 1927 for dog biscuits...

  • Starburst
    Starburst (confectionery)
    Starburst is the brand name of a cuboid-shaped, fruit-flavoured soft taffy candy manufactured by The Wrigley Company, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated...

     (now manufactured by the Mars subsidiary The Wrigley Company
    Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
    The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...

    )
  • Summit Candy Bar
    Summit Candy Bar
    Summit Candy Bar was manufactured in the early 1980s by ‎Mars in the United States. The candy bar consisted of two wafers covered with peanuts, all coated in chocolate....

  • Teasers
  • Techni-Cal (Pet food, Belong to Royal Canin Co.)
  • Topic
    Topic (chocolate bar)
    Topic is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Incorporated in France and sold throughout Europe and the United States. It contains hazelnuts, nougat and caramel....

  • Tracker
    Tracker (granola bar)
    Tracker is a chewy cereal bar manufactured by Mars Incorporated and sold in the UK and Ireland. The same product is sold in Switzerland under the Balisto brand....

  • Treets
    Treets
    Treets are a brand of confectionery sold by Mars Limited in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France and Germany.They came in three forms: Peanut Treets , Toffee Treets and Chocolate Treets . All three were coated in a thin hard glazed shell which was a dark chocolate colour...

  • Tunes
    Tunes (sweet)
    Tunes is a brand of lozenge manufactured by The Wrigley Company in the UK. It is marketed as a cough sweet or anti-congestant lozenge, containing eucalyptus oil and menthol. It is a relative of the now discontinued Spangles brand, and shares the same packaging and dimensions of that brand...

     (now manufactured by the Mars subsidiary The Wrigley Company
    Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
    The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...

    )
  • Twix
    Twix
    Twix is a chocolate bar made by Mars, Inc., consisting of a biscuit finger, topped with caramel and coated in milk chocolate. Being somewhat smaller in width than other confectionery bars, Twix bars are typically packaged in pairs...

  • Whiskas
    Whiskas
    Whiskas is a brand of cat food sold throughout the world. It is owned by the American group Mars, Incorporated. It is available either as meat-like pieces in cans, pouches, or dry biscuits. Most packaging is a recognisable purple colour.-History:...

     (cat food)
  • Winergy
  • Wisdom Panel MX Mixed Breed DNA Test (Manage by Mars Veterinary Department)
  • Galaxy counters (was incorporated into the Revels
    Revels (confectionery)
    Revels are a chocolate coated confectionery with assorted centres made in Slough by Mars, Inc.Originally, Revels had orange creme, coconut, toffee, or peanut centres, along with Galaxy Counters and Maltesers...

     brand)


Other confections, no longer produced, include:
  • Bisc &
    Cookies &
    "Cookies &" is a brand of cookie treats from Mars, Incorporated. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Cookies & was sold as "Bisc &".It consists of cookies coated in chocolate with added toppings "Cookies &" is a brand of cookie treats from Mars, Incorporated. In the United Kingdom and Ireland,...

  • Cookies &
    Cookies &
    "Cookies &" is a brand of cookie treats from Mars, Incorporated. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Cookies & was sold as "Bisc &".It consists of cookies coated in chocolate with added toppings "Cookies &" is a brand of cookie treats from Mars, Incorporated. In the United Kingdom and Ireland,...

  • Pacers
    Pacers (confection)
    Pacers is a discontinued brand of popular mint flavoured confection.Opal Mints were plain white coloured chewy spearmint flavoured sweets, launched as a sister product to Opal Fruits . The product was then relaunched as Pacers. Later, three green stripes were added to the sweet. The brand was...

  • PB Max
    PB Max
    PB Max was a candy bar made in the United States by Mars, launched in 1989 or 1990. They were made of creamy peanut butter and oats on top of a square-shaped whole grain cookie, enrobed in milk chocolate....

  • Royals
  • Spangles
    Spangles
    Spangles was a brand of boiled sweets, manufactured by Mars Ltd in the United Kingdom from 1950 to the early eighties. They were bought in a paper tube with individual sweets cellophane wrapped...


Recycling

TerraCycle
TerraCycle
TerraCycle is a private U.S. small business headquartered in Trenton, New Jersey, which specializes in making consumer products from pre- and post-consumer materials....

 repurposes waste packaging from Mars Incorporated and Wrigley's operations into products ranging from cell phone holders and laptop sleeves to messenger bags.

See also

  • Big Chocolate
    Big Chocolate
    "Big Chocolate" is a business term assigned to multi-national chocolate food producers, much akin to the terms assigned to "Big Oil" and "Big Tobacco"....

  • List of food companies


Further reading


External links



Mars Symbioscience Businesses:
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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