On World Food Day 2023, Mars Food & Nutrition shares progress towards the food and sustainability goals that sit at the heart of its purpose: Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow.
Halfway through its five-year commitments to drive positive change through stronger action and meaningful partnerships, the maker of brands including Ben’s Original™, Masterfoods®, SEEDS OF CHANGE®, Tasty Bite®, and DOLMIO® is proud to share the progress it has made, including:
- Donating 33 million meals to people in need around the world since 2021, exceeding the target of 25 million meals by 2025. With food poverty an ongoing issue, the company continues to build strategic and impactful partnerships with local organisations to help get food and support to people who need it most.
- In the United States, Ben’s Original™ supports the No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger. Through the partnership it provided 2.5 million meals to children in need throughout the United States in 2022.
- In Australia, Mars Food & Nutrition has developed a Collaborative Supply Program with Foodbank Australia to address the challenge of ensuring a consistent supply chain of food products to people in need. In its third year, this partnership is helping Mars Food & Nutrition Australia deliver its ambition of 3m meals to people in need in 2023.
- In the UK, Mars Food & Nutrition has partnered with the Trussell Trust in the Stand Against Hunger campaign for the last four years to support their network of more than 1,300 food banks who help communities across the UK who are facing hunger.
- Delivering 4.7 billion healthy meals in 2022 (in addition to 4.3 billion in 2021), working towards the goal of 5.5 billion healthy meals per year by 2025. This includes 1.7 billion servings of vegetables, and a 32% increase in fibre servings, achieved through reformulation efforts and product innovation, tracking well towards the aim of 4 billion servings of vegetables and beating the target of 30% fibre increase by 2025.
- Making progress towards reaching net zero by 2050 and reducing unsustainable water use by 50% by 2025. Working with its suppliers, Mars is pioneering climate smart rice farming practices, the “alternate wetting and drying” watering technique. Depending on the context where the rice is grown, the climate smart practices have shown water use reductions up to 30% and GHG reductions ranging from 25 to 70% – all without reducing rice yields.
- Ensuring 89% of Mars Food & Nutrition packaging is now reusable, recyclable or compostable, moving towards the goal of 100% of the portfolio.
In addition, Mars Food & Nutrition is using its brands to drive positive action, including the BEN’S ORIGINAL™ SEAT AT THE TABLE™ fund which is helping provide educational opportunities to increase diversity in the food industry through scholarships and training. Meanwhile, the Tasty Bite Foundation collaborated with the Agricultural Development Trust, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Baramati and the American India Foundation Trust New Delhi to initiate projects focused on agricultural development and promoting better livelihoods close to the Tasty Bite factory in Pune, India.
Shaid Shah, global president, Mars Food & Nutrition, commented: “Food is a source of wellbeing and a connector of people. It nourishes our bodies and brings us together. I believe everyone should have access to healthy and nutritious food, and that it should be sourced as sustainably as possible. That’s why I am proud of the progress we, at Mars Food & Nutrition, have made towards our mission of providing healthy, easy, tasty, and accessible everyday meals and delivering the Mars sustainability commitments. I want to thank our amazing partners and Associates. There is more to do, but together we can make a meaningful difference to the lives of billions of people around the world.”
Anne Filipic, CEO, Share Our Strength, which runs the No Kid Hungry campaign, added: “We are proud to partner with Mars through their Ben’s Original™ brand and No Kid Hungry campaign. Through this partnership, Ben’s Original™ has helped kids all over the country access three meals a day. Food insecurity, poor health outcomes, and poverty are ongoing issues in our communities and it’s going to take all of us to build a better and brighter future for our kids.”
Sophie Carre, director of public engagement at the Trussell Trust, said: “Thank you to Mars Food & Nutrition for their ongoing support which has made a significant difference to people supported by our network. Food bank teams are working tirelessly to ensure help continues to be available. But ultimately, no one in the UK should need to turn to a food bank as all of us should have enough money for the essentials. The support of Mars Food & Nutrition will help food banks within our network continue to provide the lifeline of emergency support for local people in crisis, while we work in the long term to build a hunger free future.”
Mars Food & Nutrition is a segment of Mars, Incorporated, which last month released The Mars Net Zero Roadmap, a decisive action plan for achieving Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across its full value chain by 2050. The Mars Roadmap includes a new target reviewed by the Science Based Targets Initiative to cut emissions by 50% by 2030, from a 2015 baseline, with a pathway to Net Zero by 2050. As part of the action plan, Mars will invest over $1 billion over the next three years and continue to commit financial resources as needed until Net Zero is achieved.
