MARS Bars made with Fairtrade-certified cocoa roll out in UK and Ireland

As the importance of corporate social responsibility continues to grow among consumers, businesses are looking for more ways to take ethics into account and ensure that their products are meeting these more stringent consumer standards. A new move from Mars Chocolate UK is an example of this shift. This week the chocolate company announced a launch throughout the UK and Ireland of the first Mars Bars produced with Fairtrade-certified cocoa.

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Mars Chocolate UK also announced that with this move it is the first company in the United Kingdom to Fairtrade’s new Cocoa Sourcing Program. It’s all part of the Fairtrade Cocoa Program partnership that originally formed between Fairtrade and Mars’ Germany division in 2014. By working side-by-side with cocoa production co-ops in Cote d’Ivoire on new projects and training for improved planting techniques, Fairtrade and Mars together are hoping to raise standards for both cocoa-growing communities and sustainable cocoa production. This new Fairtrade Mars Bar launch is the next stage in the partnership and proof of Mars Chocolate UK’s commitment to supporting and making space for chocolate made with these higher standards.  

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In the press release announcing the launch, Mars Chocolate UK President Blas Maquivar discussed the decision:

Michael Gidney, Chief Executive of The Fairtrade Foundation, also spoke about the partnership and what this decision on the part of Mars Chocolate UK means for cocoa growers around the world:

In 2009, Mars Inc. made a global commitment to sourcing 100 percent sustainable cocoa by 2020. This development in the UK and Ireland is an important step toward that initial commitment’s ultimate success.

[SOURCE: Supply Chain Digital]