Mars-Kellanova merger: Commission rumoured to be nearing approval
Mars’ blockbuster $35.9bn bid for Kellanova may get the EU’s green light, without concessions
Mars
TFWA 2025: Top 5 confectionery innovations from the show
From hazelnut Twix to halal Haribo, TFWA 2025 delivered a sweet showcase of innovation under the Cannes sun. Discover the top launches shaking up confectionery
Mars pumps billions into renewable energy
Mars takes major step towards net zero by 2050
Mars pledges €1bn to European manufacturing
Mars is ramping up manufacturing, sustainability, and innovation across Europe
Mars-Kellanova Deal: Commission restarts the clock
The EU has resumed its investigation into Mars’ $35.9bn merger with Kellanova, following a stop in July
What’s hot in confectionery? Honey roasted M&Ms, Party Rings and more
From festive formats and clean-label protein snacks to nostalgic flavour mashups, the latest wave of NPD is reshaping how consumers snack, share and celebrate
Sustainable September
Mars, PepsiCo and ADM join forces to advance ag-tech
Mars, PepsiCo and ADM are partnering to help farmers adopt regenerative agriculture - boosting soil health, crop resilience and sustainability
Unilever, Mars, Ferrero & Kraft Heinz: A story of spin-offs, splits, mergers & acquisitions
From Kraft Heinz’s split to Mars and Kellanova’s mega-merger, the world’s biggest food brands are reshaping the industry
Mars-Kellanova: Merger update
Is the clock still stopped on the $35.9bn deal?
De-risking cocoa: The chocolate giants leaning into novel technologies
Amid a cocoa crisis, the biggest names in chocolate are working to futureproof supply
New product development
What’s hot in confectionery? Skittles heat up, Mars Christmas and more
From sour innovations to festive indulgence, here’s a bumper haul of the latest new product development in confectionery
Mars to reformulate iconic brands in 2026
M&M’s, Skittles, and Starburst will ditch artificial colours, but not every product is making the switch
Mars bets on CRISPR to save cocoa from climate chaos
Mars teams up with biotech firm Pairwise to futureproof cocoa crops using gene editing
Mars scales up for snack domination with $2bn power play
With a new $240m Nature’s Bakery plant opening in Utah and a $36bn Kellanova deal underway, Mars is laying the groundwork for a US snack empire
Mars-Kellanova deal in jeopardy as Commission ‘stops the clock’
European Commission pauses review of $35.9bn Kellanova deal, citing “missing information”
Mars-Kellanova deal to reshape global snacking market
What happens when a confectionery giant takes a step into the snacking world? We’re about to find out
Texas AG targets Mars over continued use of artificial colours
Despite making a public commitment nearly a decade ago to phase out artificial colours, the M&M’s and Skittles maker is in hot water over its continued use of synthetic dyes in the US
GROWTH ASIA SUMMIT 2025
Mars Wrigley taps consumer obsession to fuel brand growth in APAC
New tactics emerge as a global giant rethinks how to win hearts, minds – and wallets – across a complex region
Mars-Kellanova deal cleared in US, faces EU showdown
Mars’ $36 billion takeover of Kellanova has been given the green light from US antitrust regulators but Brussels pushes forward with antitrust investigation
Is the $36 billion Mars-Kellanova merger at risk of collapsing?
Mars wants to rule the snack aisle but Brussels may have other ideas. A full-blown EU antitrust probe now threatens to derail the confectionery giant’s biggest-ever bet
From candy giant to snacking powerhouse: the new Mars playbook
With an ambitious growth target for the next five years, vice president of new innovation territories at Mars, Greg Hocking, explains how it’ll achieve it through fun formats, functionality and fostering sustainable start-ups
New product development
What’s hot in confectionery? Harry Potter Haribo, Galaxy Dates and more…
What are the latest chocolate, gummi and candy launches on the market now? We reveal the biggest confectionery new product developments (NPD) this week
Stretching out Halloween has a spellbinding effect
Mars unveils new seasonal products and consumer data as it taps into early demand, shifting treating habits and the rise of microseasons to boost confectionery sales
New product development
What’s hot in confectionery? New product development from Mars and Hu
From an early look at Halloween candy to two on-point fruity flavours, meet the latest confectionery launches shaking up the shelves in 2025
How brands are tackling cocoa shortages, shrinkflation, and pricing pressures
With cocoa costs soaring and price-sensitive consumers, confectioners face tough choices in 2025. From reformulation to pack changes, how will brands navigate the financial squeeze?
New product development
What’s hot in confectionery? New product development from Hershey to Hi-Chew
From new confectionery SKUs from Diageo to the wildest Christmas-themed flavor, meet the latest confectionery launches disrupting the industry
Opinion
Mondelēz’s Hershey interest is a defensive move against Mars Kellanova
Mondelēz International’s rumoured bid for The Hershey Company would create a big business, but would it be big enough to counter the potential threat of a dominating Mars Kellanova?
New Product Development from Toblerone to Hotel Chocolat
Staying up to date with the newest confectionery products, trends and flavour combinations on the market is key to keeping on top of the fast-paced and competitive sweet sector.
What’s Mars’ convenience store strategy for 2025?
The global confectionery giant revealed its upcoming plans at this year’s 2024 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) event.
Mars scales its sustainable dairy sourcing efforts
Manure management, getting methane under control and seaweed feeds are among its climate-smart initiatives
Sustainability in confectionery: Six ways to drive a greener future
In recent years, consumer demand and evolving government regulations have led to significant advancements in sustainability within the confectionery sector.
New Product Development
What’s hot in confectionery? New product development from Cadbury to Smart Sweets
From cannabis-infused candy to a better-for-you Twix, meet the latest confectionery launches disrupting the industry
Mars-owned Hotel Chocolat opens 25 new stores
Chocolatier bets big on bricks and mortar stores as it begins a new era under new ownership. Here’s why Hotel Chocolat thinks IRL retail still matters
Inside Mars Wrigley's strategy to tap emerging global markets
The confectionery giant Mars Wrigley shares its five-point plan for hitting an untapped market of five billion consumers
Seasonal innovation
How to get ready for halloween 2024
As the majors finalise their campaigns for candy’s ‘biggest moment’ how can smaller confectioners turn spooky season into sales?
What's hot in confectionery? New product development from Skittles to Reese's
From Skittles supporting Pride to a supersized Reese’s Cup, these are the latest products launching around the globe
Sweets & Snacks Expo
Mars-Wrigley appeals to Gen Z through product innovation, including gummies and peanut butter
Gen Z consumers prefer new snacking experiences "that are talking to them in an authentic way," Mike Gilroy, the Mars-Wrigley’s VP of trade development and sponsorship, told FoodNavigator-USA at the Sweets & Snacks Expo earlier this month.
The top five sustainability trends in confectionery
As consumers’ ethical values become ever more baked into their confectionery choices, from Hershey to Mondelez and Nestle, we explore the ways brands are pivoting to more sustainable practises
Will new ‘shrinkflation’ labelling in France truly boost transparency?
France is preparing to enforce ‘shrinkflation’ signposting in retail, but critics are unconvinced the measure goes far enough.
World Cocoa Conference 2024
Oxfam slams large chocolate companies at World Cocoa Conference
Against a backdrop of cocoa topping $11,000 per metric ton on the futures market for the first time last week, Oxfam says its experts will be highlighting the discrepancies in farmgate price at this week’s World Cocoa Conference (WCC) in Brussels (21-24...
Brands
Mars Australia rebrands iconic ‘Malteasers’
Mars Wrigley has announced it is renaming its Maltesers brand to ‘Malteasers’ in what the company is describing as an ‘Ah-ha’ moment.
Retail
trüfrü launches in UK to shake up Frozen Fruit Snack Range
Award-winning frozen snack brand, trüfrü has launched in the UK market with a national listing secured in Tesco with more outlets to be announced in the coming months.
News
Two Unilever leaders join Mars Wrigley
Two new recruits will join the senior leadership team at Mars Wrigley Global Emerging Markets (GEM) as the snacking business looks to strengthen its global position and innovation offering.
M&M’S Cookie Dough hits the shelves across Australia
Brand owner Mars Wrigley is rolling out a new flavour ‘world-first’ innovation across Australia this month, combining consumers’ love of chocolate & cookie dough into one bite-sized treat.
Environment
Mars reuses old iconic adverts to raise consumer awareness of climate action
Mars Incorporated has launched a first-of-its-kind digital and out-of-home campaign that ‘reuses’ fan-favourite advertisements, giving them a second life and claiming the new messages bring hope and progress around climate action.
How Mars is rethinking reformulation on its path to net zero
As part of Mars Inc.’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the confectionery major is optimising product recipes to include more environmentally friendly ingredients.
M&As
Mars buys luxury UK chocolate brand Hotel Chocolat in shock deal
Mars has bought ailing UK business Hotel Chocolat for approximately £534 million ($662.25 million) in a deal announced to the London stock market this morning.
Confectionery
UK choc lovers hit with triple whammy as Caramac, Milkyway Crispy Rolls and Animal bars discontinued
As if the news that Nestlé is discontinuing the decades-old favourite Caramac bar had left a bad taste in the mouth for some, UK consumers have been equally left devastated by the announcement from Mars that it is ending production of the Milkyway Crispy...
Mars, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, and Givaudan on how AI can improve NPD
NPD takes time. Long hours of R&D lie between an idea and a product launch. AI, however, is helping a range of major companies generate product ideas, as well as do market research and gain insights into the minds of consumers.
Retail
Mars raises cost of Galaxy bars while reducing size in another example of ‘shrinkflation’
Mars Incorporated, owners of the popular Galaxy bar in the UK, has admitted to reducing its size while raising the price of a bar - in another example of so called ‘shrinkflation’.