Mars to stop making ‘king-size’ candy bars
A box of large Snickers candy bars at a Costco store in Tucson, Ariz., on April 4, 2008.
Candy-maker Mars Inc. has announced it will stop selling chocolate products that exceed 250 calories by the end of 2013, the Associated Press reported. The McLean, Va.-based company makes Snickers, Twix, M&Ms, Milky Way, 3Musketeers and Bounty, among other candy brands.
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Fans of Twix and peanut M&Ms need not worry: These products are only 250 calories now. But a standard Snickers bar will shrink by about 11 percent, according to NPR.
At 540 calories, the king-size Snickers bar’s days are numbered, but a Mars spokesperson told NPR that it will be replaced with bags of two or four smaller bars, to "enable sharing or saving a portion for later.”
Spokeswoman Marlene Machut told Reuters that the privately-held company’s plan to downsize its chocolates was part of Mars' "broad-based commitment to health and nutrition."
Mars previously announced it will use 25 percent less sodium in all its products by 2015.
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