Chocolate giant Mars has announced it will bring a range of healthier sweets on the market next month in a bid to tackle obesity.
Promotional deals for snacks that are high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) in stores may be restricted in the future, with food companies bracing themselves for the change. Medium and large businesses, including those with 50 or more employees, will have to phase out their offering of multi-buy promotions such as "buy one get one free" or "three for two" offers on HFSS products.
Less healthy promotions would also no longer be featured in key locations, such as checkouts, store entrances, aisle ends and their online equivalents in the proposed changes. Free refills of sugary soft drinks would also be prohibited in the eating-out sector.
The new products from Mars, which will consist of new editions of Snickers, Bounty, Mars and Galaxy bars, are set to hit the shelves in early June. The sweets, made of date paste, raisins and peanuts and covered in chocolate, will only be available at Tesco stores for the time being.
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Priced at around 80p per 40g, they will be more expensive than their original counterparts, which the company said was due to the "very premium ingredients" used, The Grocer reported. With this new range, Mars wants to ensure it can continue to place their products in prominent store locations.
Most of Mars’ chewing gum portfolio is also HFSS-compliant, including Wrigleys Extra and Airwaves.
The launch will be accompanied by a £1 million ad campaign from the start of June.
The government recently announced that it will delay restrictions on HFSS multibuy deals and advertising which were originally going to be enforced from October. However, restrictions on the placement of HFSS products in prominent locations in stores will still go ahead as planned.
As part of the regulations, the government will provide local authorities with the option of issuing civil penalties for non-compliance with the promotions restrictions. It is hoped these measures will improve the nation’s health and accrue combined health benefits of approximately £60 million in over 25 years.
