Finally! Now there’s a brand of chocolate you can feel okay about eating. Mars Inc., the company that makes products like M&M’s, Milky Way, Snickers, and Twix, announced it will stop selling chocolate that contains more than 250 calories by the end of next year.
That’s right: Those gooey, delicious, and extremely sugary and fattening chocolates are going on a diet.
It’s part of the company’s effort to make a stronger commitment to health and nutrition, says a spokesperson from Mars, which has a location in McLean. That means by 2014, kids won’t find any more king-size, 540-calorie Snickers bars in their Halloween bags, and sodium levels will be reduced by 25 percent by 2015.
It’s not the first time the company has put health first: In 2007, Mars became the first food company to announce it would no longer market its confectionery products to children under 12. Its marketing code states: “We do not buy advertising time or space if more than a quarter of the audience is likely to be under 12; nor do we advertise on websites aimed at those under 12. [ . . .] Our advertisements and promotions never depict children under 12 eating snack foods, nor do we use them as spokespeople for our brands.”
In 2010 the company eliminated 15 percent of saturated fat from Snickers and Milky Way bars and 97 percent of trans fat from all chocolate products.
We commend the company for its efforts to offer healthier products. Now if you’ll excuse us, we’re headed to the nearest CVS for one last king-size hurrah.
