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The Mars rennet U turn
A small change to an ingredient most people had never heard of turned Britain's vegetarians against Mars in a matter of days.
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In May 2007, Britain's vegetarians discovered that some Mars chocolate bars they had been eating were about to become off limits. Within days, they had made one of the world's biggest food companies change its mind.
What Mars changed
Masterfoods, the company then trading as Mars in the UK, announced that from 1 May 2007 it would use whey made with animal rennet in many of its British products. Rennet is used to curdle milk when making cheese, and whey is the liquid left behind. Animal rennet comes from the stomach lining of calves, a by product of veal. Mars had been using whey made with rennet from microorganisms, which vegetarians can eat.
The switch affected Mars bars, Twix, Snickers, Maltesers, Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way. Overnight, all of them would have become unsuitable for vegetarians.
The backlash
The Vegetarian Society, speaking for what it said were three million vegetarians in the UK, asked people to tell Mars what they thought. They did. Masterfoods received more than 6,000 emails, phone calls and text messages. The row generated extensive press coverage.
The climbdown
It took about a week. By 21 May 2007 the company had reversed the decision and gone back to its vegetarian recipe. Its spokeswoman, Fiona Dawson, said: "We realise we've made a mistake and we're terribly sorry about that." Mars switched to all vegetarian sources for its UK products.
Why it still matters
The episode is a good lesson in why ingredient lists matter. Whey, rennet, gelatine, carmine and shellac all sound harmless, but each can decide whether a sweet is suitable for vegetarians, vegans or people who eat halal. Recipes change more often than packets do, so it always pays to read the label. We explain what to look for in how to read a sweet label and our guide to vegetarian sweets.
On sweeties.net, every sweet card opens to show its full ingredients, allergens and suitability, so you can check before you buy.
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For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to sweeties.net.
Questions and answers
Are Mars bars vegetarian?
In 2007 Mars briefly planned to use whey made with animal rennet, which would have made them unsuitable for vegetarians, but it abandoned the plan after protests. Always check the current pack.
What is rennet?
A set of enzymes used to curdle milk in cheese making. Animal rennet comes from the stomach lining of calves; there are also versions made by microorganisms.
Why would a chocolate bar contain whey?
Whey is the liquid left over when milk is curdled to make cheese. It is dried into a powder and used as a dairy ingredient in many chocolate bars and sweets.
Sources
- Mars Inc., Wikipedia
- Vegetarians force Mars into U turn on animal products, ABC News
- Whey, Wikipedia
Keep reading
- Diet, allergens and labelsA guide to vegetarian sweetsFor vegetarians, gelatine is the main thing to avoid, and the Vegetarian Society also rules out insect products such as carmine and shellac. What to check.
- Diet, allergens and labelsGelatine in sweets explainedGelatine gives gummies and marshmallows their texture, and it melts below body temperature, which shapes how they feel in the mouth. Who avoids it.
- Diet, allergens and labelsHow to read a sweet labelWhat each part of a sweet label means: ingredients by weight, allergens in bold, E numbers, the nutrition table, legal warnings and when there is no date.
- The people behind the sweetsThe mystery of the Mars familyThe Mars family owns one of America's biggest private companies and almost never talks. A father and son feud, a bar born in Slough, and a hidden fortune.
- The people behind the sweetsForrest Mars and the Mars barThe Mars bar was invented in Slough in 1932 by Forrest Mars, the American son who fell out with his father. How a family row created a British icon.
- Sweet scandals and controversiesHow Cadbury was sold to KraftIn 2010 the American food giant Kraft bought Cadbury for £11.5bn after a hostile bid. How a British institution was sold, and why it still stings.