Mars Food has announced its global “Health and Wellbeing Ambition” to make and promote healthier food choices.
The initiatives will cover reduction in sodium and sugar, addition of fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains in its products, and encouragement of cooking and healthy eating at home, among others.
General manager of Mars Food Australia, Hamish Thomson, said that the company has a responsibility to be transparent about its products and to help consumers make informed choices.
“In Australia we have been working since 2007 to remove salt and sugar from our products and to increase the serves of vegetables in our recipes. This ambition makes a number of additional commitments that will help us realise our food purpose of Better Food Today, Better World Tomorrow,” Thomson said.
“The Health and Wellbeing Ambition will guide our product development to continue to improve the nutritional content of our portfolio,” he said.
Mars Food will reduce sodium by an average of 20 per cent by 2021 and reduce added sugar in a limited number of sauces and light meals by 2018.
In its website, the company will recommend how often products with higher levels of sugar, salt or fat should be consumed as part of a balanced diet, helping consumer to choose between ‘everyday’ and ‘occasional’ options.
The company will also significantly expand multi-grain options so that 50 per cent of all rice products include whole grains and/or legumes. In addition, it will ensure all tomato-based jar products include a minimum of one serving of vegetables.
Mars Food is the maker popular brands including Masterfoods, Dolmio, Kan Tong and Uncle Ben’s.
