Mars is to launch a vegan version of its best-selling Galaxy bar in the UK, the first move by a large mainstream confectionery brand to offer consumers a plant-based alternative to milk chocolate. The new variant, certified by the Vegan Society, will be available in three flavours: smooth orange, caramel and sea salt and caramelised hazelnut. It will go on sale online and in store at Tesco, Ocado and Amazon from Monday, costing £3 for a 100g bar, double the price of the regular Galaxy. Mars, the UK’s second-largest confectionery brand, says it has taken more than six months to reformulate its best-selling chocolate bar, which has involved replacing dairy with hazelnut paste and rice syrup. The UK vegan confectionery market has grown to a record £10m but is dwarfed by the size of the overall confectionery market, which is now valued at £4bn. It is also Mars’ first UK confectionery product to be wrapped in compostable film packaging. It is made from wood fibre and breaks down in home composting in a few months while the outer card sleeve is widely recyclable.
