Mars bars miss out on veggie approval
CHOCOLATE giant Mars has failed to win the approval of vegetarians because its bars are not made with free-range eggs.
Mars UK has been denied use of the prized vegetarian symbol on packaging because its products contain battery-farmed eggs.
The chocolate firm sparked a storm of protest earlier this year when it was revealed it was replacing vegetarian whey in some of its products with an animal-derived rennet.
After being deluged with more than 6,000 complaints from consumers and vegetarian groups, the confectionery giant had to make an embarrassing U-turn.
Mars said it hoped to be granted the right to use the Vegetarian Society’s logo on its packaging. But now the accreditation request has been denied because of the battery-farmed eggs.
Instead new packaging will state “suitable for vegetarians” on the back of brands including Mars, Snickers and Galaxy using Foods Standards Agency guidance on vegetarian labelling as a benchmark.
Vegetarian Society chief executive officer Annette Pinner told trade magazine The Grocer yesterday: “We are happy to remain in dialogue with the manufacturer.
“However, it is important for consumers to recognise the difference between minimum vegetarian standards and the higher criteria associated with VS approval.”
Mars said that using battery eggs was “currently the most practical solution to our manufacturing needs”.
Fiona Dawson, managing director of Masterfoods’ UK snack foods business, said: “As a company we believe in clear, transparent labelling and are introducing this initiative because we want to communicate the suitability of our products to vegetarians.”
