Mars Food Nutrition Criteria
Mars Food has developed a set of global
nutrition criteria to guide us as we seek to
further improve the nutritional composition of
our product portfolio. These criteria are
based on nutrition science and
recommendations from public health
authorities worldwide, including the World
Health Organization (WHO), United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA), the
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and
Food Standards Australia New Zealand
(FSANZ).
Mars Food currently offers a variety of
products that fit into a healthy lifestyle, and
our criteria will guide us as we develop new
products in the future. A majority of our
product portfolio now meets our criteria, and
over time we will increase the percentage of
our portfolio that falls within them.
Below you will find:
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An overview of the nutrition
philosophy underpinning the Mars
Food approach to Nutrition and
Wellness.
More information about how we
define “responsible nutrition”; and
More information about our criteria
and how we developed them.
Our nutrition criteria will be regularly
reviewed by internal and external nutrition
experts to ensure it reflects the latest science
and guidance. Our nutrition criteria focus on
the following “nutrients to limit” (NTL):
energy, added sugar, fat, saturated fat, and
sodium. Further iterations will be expanded to
include “nutrients to enhance” (NTE).
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Our Nutrition & Wellness
Philosophy
senses. We stay true to the ingredients and
authenticity of recipes, and work to
incorporate convenience and nutrition. We
believe there are social and physical benefits
to making and sharing meals at home that
contribute to overall wellness and that our
food can bring people together, helping to
cultivate healthy families and communities.
The consumer comes first
We recognize that consumers have different
lifestyles and preferences. We work hard to
understand what’s really important to
consumers and tailor our products to fit their
needs. Every consumer wants and deserves
quality, so ALL Mars Food products share the
highest standards of quality and food safety.
We anchor our business in consumer value,
and we will only be satisfied if we are making
tasty, nutritious food that’s affordable and
available, taking great care to protect the
planet and reduce waste as we go.
Great food is both science and art
We constantly advance our expertise in
nutrition to ensure that our food not only
tastes good – but can also inspire healthy
eating. We evolve our product development
standards with the latest recognized nutrition
guidance. We invest in basic research to
improve the nutrition quality of our raw
ingredients. We aim to keep recipes as simple
as possible, while continuously improving the
experience of our food through new
ingredients and techniques. We strive to
create recipes that accentuate the inherent
goodness in the grains, vegetables, herbs, and
spices that star in our portfolio.
Wellness is a shared responsibility
We believe consumers have a right to make
informed choices to meet their personal
wellness needs, so we provide useful, accurate
information about our product’s ingredient
and nutrition composition. We set responsible
nutrition goals for total energy, and nutrient
classes including fat, sodium, and sugar,
within the context of a product’s intended role
in the diet. We will build consumer confidence
by providing clear guidance to successfully
prepare a meal, and fit our products into a
healthy lifestyle.
Our food should make life easier
We believe that by continuously advancing
food preservation techniques in our own
kitchens we can make nutritious food safe,
accessible, and convenient. Today, whether
the occasion calls for cooking from scratch, a
meal-helper, or a complete meal, Mars Food
proudly offers products that can sit on a
kitchen shelf, ready to make life easier. We
embrace our role in securing the food system
to ensure a better world tomorrow for our
families, and yours.
Food should be an experience
We know that great taste is the most
important ingredient to a great meal. By
combining our expertise in food science and
our passion for world cuisine, we help people
create tasty, enjoyable meals that inspire the
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criteria for the calorie content or the
nutritional composition of the meal, we have
taken into account the relative contributions
of the meal to daily food intake.
Principles used to define the
criteria
Public health authorities
The daily reference values for the nutrients to
limit as recommended by different public
health authorities are summarized in Table 1.
These values form the basis of the regional
nutritional calculations (% Daily Reference
Values or Intakes) we use on our labels in the
markets in which we operate. For the purpose
of the Mars Food Nutrition Criteria applicable
across the globe, we have chosen a
harmonized set of Daily Reference Values
against which to benchmark our products.
Nutritionists recognize that not every meal
occasion needs to be fully in balance. The
human body is able to buffer energy and
nutrient intakes over a time period of a couple
of days. This allows individuals to consume
different types of meals over that period of
time, with different relative contributions of
calories, nutrients of concern, and nutrients
that are essential, as long as the diet is
balanced overall. In this sense, there is a place
for light meals and snacks, for “every day”
meals, and from time to time, indulgent meals
and snacks.
The role of the product in the meal
Our product portfolio covers a wide range of
products, ranging from those that are used in
“scratch cooking” to ready meals; from
products that are plain grains to condiments
that deliver taste and flavor profiles to the
meal; from light snacks to indulgent meal kits.
The criteria applied to various types of Mars
Food products are based on the typical role of
that food in a meal.
The contribution of the meal to daily
food intake
Across the world, different cultures are
accustomed to different types of diets.
Nutritional contribution of the serving
To help consumers understand how much of a
given nutrient our products provide as
compared to daily nutrition
recommendations, we have based our
Nutrition Criteria on the amount of our
products typically consumed in one serving. In
geographies where serving size is standardized
or regulated, we apply the prescribed serving
size. In other geographies, we apply portion
sizes that are in line with consumer habits.
Typically for the Western hemisphere,
individuals consume 20% of daily calories at
breakfast, 30% at lunch, and 30% at dinner,
with the remaining calories coming from a
mid-morning snack and/or an afternoon
break8.
Alternatively, some communities in other
parts of the world may have only one main
meal per day.
Clearly, the significance of these meal
occasions is different and therefore, in setting
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Mars Food Nutrition Criteria
Table 2, below, shows the current Mars Food
Nutrition Criteria with respect to nutrients to
limit (NTL).
For a given product, the levels of these
nutrients delivered by a serving of the product
are expressed as a percentage of the Daily
Reference Value, and these values are
compared to the criteria in Table 1.
These thresholds are used to benchmark the
nutritional contribution of our products and to
track over time the overall performance of our
portfolio. These criteria also instruct our
globally aligned product development teams
on reformulation targets and are incorporated
into plans for the development of new
products.
This approach will lead to a gradual
improvement in the nutritional composition of
the Mars Food portfolio.
Not all products will be able to be
reformulated within these criteria given the
unique, authentic nature of the recipe and the
importance of maintaining taste for the
consumer. For those products, we will ensure
transparent nutrition labeling, including frontof-pack Guideline Daily Amount labeling, and
we will provide guidance to consumers
regarding portion size and recommended
frequency of consumption as part of a healthy
diet.
The Mars Food Nutrition Criteria apply to all
product categories, with the exception of
condiments, herbs, and spices.
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Table 1: Daily Reference Values for Nutrients to Limit, as published by different public health authorities
Energy
(kcal)
WHO1 – 2012
-
Total Sugars
Added Sugars
Fat
Saturated fat
(g)
(g)
(g)
(g)
-
-
-
WHO5 – 2015
50****
SACN6
50****
USDA2 - 2010
2000
Trans-Fatty
Acids
(g)
Sodium
(mg)
2000
2.2****
No DV
65
20
2300
(1500***)
EFSA3- 2009
2000*
90
70
20
2400
FSANZ4-2006
2100**
90
70
24
2300
MARS Food
Nutrition
Criteria
2000
90
65
20
50
2.2
2000*****
*Corresponds to the requirements of a moderately active woman.
**Corresponds to average intake of adult males and females surveyed in Australia 9,265 kJ and New Zealand (8200 kJ).
*** African Americans, individuals with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, and individuals ages 51 and older (together comprising about half of the U.S. population ages 2 and
older).
**** For a recommended calorie intake of a moderately active woman, 10% of daily calorie intake is equivalent to 50 g of added/free sugar; 1% is equivalent to 2.2 grams of trans fatty acids.
***** 2000 mg/day was chosen as our guardrail, while for the purpose of front-of-pack labeling the regional sodium reference values are still used.
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Table 2: Mars Food Nutrition Criteria for Nutrients to Limit delivered by a serving, expressed as a percent of Daily Reference Values
Categories based on
intended use
Product role in
the meal
Example Mars
Food product(s)
Energy
Added Sugar
Fat
SAFA
Sodium
Every day meal occasions
Full meal
meal kits
risotto
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
Light meal
twin pots,
Soups
per serve
<20% of DV
per serve
< 20% of DV
per serve
<20% of DV
per serve
<20% of DV
per serve
<20% of DV
Meal Makers =
component
delivering main
taste/flavor
based on one
serving of the
meal
Unflavored
Meal Carbs
wet cooking
sauces, recipe
bases
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
per serve
<30% of DV
plain rice, durum
wheat, noodles
per serve
<15% of DV
No
added sugar
per serve
<5% of DV
per serve
<5% of DV
No
added salt
Flavored
Meal Carbs
dry and ready-toheat flavored rice
per serve
<15% of DV
per serve
<15% of DV
per serve
<15% of DV
per serve
<15% of DV
per serve
<15% of DV
NOTE: Some Mars Food products are used to prepare meals that are authentic and can be richer in some of the nutrients to limit. These fall into the
category of indulgent meals and are intended to be consumed occasionally. To fit within a balanced diet, they need to be compensated for at other
occasions during the week. Our goal is for a serving to never exceed 100% of the daily reference value.
NOTE: The Mars Food maximum target for Trans Fatty Acids is 0.2g/100g. These are only trace amounts primarily from animal-derived ingredients.
Mars Food is phasing out all uses of artificial partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) by the end of 2017.
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Added Sugars: Today, there is no universally accepted definition of added sugars, and nutrition databases may use different equations to calculate added
sugar resulting in a range of values, which could be very confusing to consumers.
-
-
For the purpose of these Nutrition Criteria, we applied the WHO interpretation whereby added sugars are equivalent to free sugars and include
monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit
juices, and fruit concentrates.
Our package labels will refer to the legal definition of added sugar as used in each market.
We will never use fruit juice concentrates or honey to mask the inclusion of sugar in our products, unless the addition of those ingredients is
important to the authentic culinary nature of the recipe, such as for Honey Barbecue Sauce.
DV: Daily Reference Value or Daily Reference Intake (also abbreviated as DRI). A set of dietary references for daily intake of nutrients, based on scientific
evidence and reviewed on a regular basis by the World Health Organization and public health authorities worldwide.
EFSA: European Food Safety Authority.
FSANZ: Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
NCDs: Non communicable diseases: mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. Today, these represent a leading
threat to human health and development. These four diseases are the world’s biggest killers, causing an estimated 35 million deaths each year - 60% of all
deaths globally - with 80% in low- and middle-income countries.
NTE: Nutrients to enhance - a term used to describe nutrients in food products that public health authorities recommend be increased in the diet to help
reduce the risk of Non Communicable Diseases.
NTL: Nutrients to limit – a term used to describe nutrients in food products that public health authorities recommend be limited in the diet to help reduce
the risk of Non Communicable Diseases.
USDA: United States Department of Agriculture.
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WHO: World Health Organization.
Indulgent meals: Some of our authentic meals may not always fit the nutrition criteria of an everyday meal. Here we provide transparency in our
communication about nutrient content (through front-of-pack Guideline Daily Amount icons) to help consumers make informed choices, and in the future,
we plan to provide additional guidance on portion size and how often these products can be consumed as part of a healthy diet.
REFERENCES
1. Guideline: Sodium intake for adults and children. Geneva, WHO - World Health Organization; 2012.
2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. USDA - U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2010.
3. Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies on a request from the Commission related to the review of labelling
reference intake values for selected nutritional elements. EFSA, European Food Safety Agency, The EFSA Journal 1008, 1-14; 2009.
4. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, Including Recommended Dietary intakes, Australian Government, Department of Health
and Aging – National Health and Medical Research Office; 9 September 2005.
5. Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva, WHO - World Health Organization; 2015.
6. Draft Carbohydrates and Health report, SACN – Scientific Advisory Committee on nutrition; 2014.
7. 2008-2013 Action plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of non communicable diseases. Geneva, WHO - World Health
Organization; 2008.
8. FSA nutrient and food based guidelines for UK institutions, Food Standards Agency, Revised October 2007.
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