Mars will launch a new range of non-HFSS confectionery next month in the first major response to the new junk food laws by one of the big three confectionery giants. The Triple Treat range consists of new editions of Mars, Snickers, Bounty and Galaxy bars, and will launch exclusively in Tesco stores from the start of June. Each product is made of date paste, raisins and peanuts, and drizzled in chocolate. They will ring in at 80p per 40g bar, making them 57% more expensive than their traditional counterparts. By comparison, traditional Mars bars currently rsp at 65p for a 51g bar. The additional cost is due to the “very premium ingredients” such as roasted peanuts and dates, Mars UK GM Adam Grant told The Grocer. The launch will be accompanied by a £1m ad campaign from the start of June, he added. Other confectionery giants have so far been unable to launch new products that are compliant with HFSS rules. In 2019, Mondelez released Cadbury Dairy Milk 30% Less Sugar in an effort to become healthier, yet learnt that it fell foul of the HFSS rules when the criteria was confirmed two years later. Mars has developed its Triple Treat range over the past 18 months to ensure it can continue placing confectionery in prominent store locations once the new laws kick in from October.
