What is Vegan on Mars? Dairy-free chocolate, Skittles and more

Canned spread cheese, biscuits, compressed cereal bars, and instant coffee were some of the items American soldiers would find in their ration boxes during World War II. All that, and M&Ms. Yes, we’re talking about those little addictive chocolate candies in multicolored made by Mars, Inc. Heat-resistant and easy to transport, the US government sent them to the military to maintain power levels.

M&Ms has made headlines a few times since then. From the 1980s (yes, that happened) to their signature character changing clothes in 2022, the little crunchy balls of chocolate are undoubtedly one of Mars, Inc.’s most talked about candies. But they are far from the only popular products made by American multinationals. The corporation – which also makes pet food – has made quite a name for itself in the food industry. Think Maltesers, Milky Way, Snickers, Mars Chocolate Bars, and other non-candy brands like Dolmio and Ben’s Original.

Most of Mars, Inc.’s chocolate brands (sold under Mars Wrigley—the company’s candy and chewing gum divisions) rely heavily on dairy recipes. But, with the vegan confectionery market growing (it was recently valued at around $1.11 billion), could that soon change? After all, the company has already worked with several plant-based chocolate launches. Here’s more about Mars’ dairy-free product initiative, plus some of the most vegan-friendly brands the corporation owns.

Are there vegan Mars bars?

One of Mars, Inc.’s most famous creations is the Mars chocolate bar, created by Forrest Mars in 1932, consisting of a mixture of milk chocolate, caramel, and nougat. In fact, since they were first created by Martian pioneers, more than 30 billion Mars chocolate bars have been sold worldwide.

Right now, there is no vegan version of the iconic candy bar. But Mars, Inc. Has experimented with plant-based versions of other popular candy products in the past. Now listed due to controversy over where to place the products in supermarkets (retailers wanted them in the confectionery aisle while Mars wanted them in the free-from section), the company introduced Vegan Topic and Vegan Bounty bars in 2021.

Galaxy, one of Mars, Inc.’s popular brands, has had more success with vegan products in the UK. And in the US, the food giant has announced the launch of an all-new vegan milk chocolate brand in 2022, called CO2COA. Learn more about these two launches below, plus some of the corporation’s other vegetarian-friendly brands. Spoiler alert: they’re not all candy!

8 Vegetarian-Friendly Brands From Mars

Mars

1 CO2COA

Last year, Mars announced it had teamed up with food-tech company Perfect Day to create a new vegan milk chocolate bar using animal-free whey. Made by Perfect Day, the latter adds a creamy quality to the candy without using any actual cow’s milk.

“At Mars, we are driven by an obsession to bring great experiences to our customers and we believe the best way to delight our fans is to never stop exploring and innovating with new flavors, ingredients and packaging,” said Chris Rowe, Mars Wrigley’s Global Research & Vice President of Development Department.

The new lactose-free, vegan milk chocolate bar brand hasn’t launched yet, but the website confirms it’s “coming soon.”
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galaxy

2 galaxy

In 2019, Mars announced that Galaxy, one of its most popular chocolate brands in the UK, would launch three new vegan flavours: Smooth Orange, Caramelised Hazelnut and Caramel & Sea Salt. Since then, the brand has expanded the range to include more options like Crumbled Cookie and Smooth Mint.

At the moment, the chocolate bars are listed by some major UK supermarkets (such as Topic and Bounty), but some flavors are still available at retailers such as the Co-op, for example.

That is, you to be able to Find Galaxy Vegan Instant Hot Chocolate in most major supermarkets including Tesco.
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3 Skittles

In 2008, Mars, Inc. Wrigley acquired the company (so its candy and gum division was called Mars Wrigley), which brought popular brands like Skittles into the food giant’s portfolio. Most varieties of colored candy with real sugar do not include any animal ingredients, so they are suitable for vegetarians. That said, special edition varieties like Skittles jellybeans may contain animal products like wax, so double-check the packet before you buy.
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4 Starburst

Another Wrigley Company product, Starburst makes popular soft, fruity, square-shaped taffy-style candies. But whether they are vegetarian or not depends on where you are in the world. In the UK, the recipe is gelatin-free, so they are safe for vegetarians to eat. But in the US, unfortunately, gelatin is included in the recipe.
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5 Kinds of snacks

In 2017, Mars acquired a minority stake in snack brand Kind Snacks, and in 2020, it followed that up by acquiring the entire brand in a $5 billion deal. The New York City brand makes many different “healthy” snacks, including its signature Kind Bar. According to the brand, all of its whole fruit bar options are vegetarian, and it also has many clusters
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6 Bubba Bubba

When you think of childhood candy, there’s a good chance Hubba Bubba comes to mind. And good news, if you want a taste of nostalgia, many flavors of this popular bubblegum are vegetarian. Because of the Wrigley acquisition, Mars owns several other chewing gum brands, including Wrigley’s DoubleMint, which is also vegan.
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7 Dolmeo

Mars isn’t just about candy. Pasta sauce brand Dolmeo, which is popular around the world, is also owned by the corporation. In 2020, it launched a plant-based Mince Bolognese sauce in the UK, but it no longer appears to be available. That said, it still offers other plant-based options, like its 7 Vegetable Mediterranean Roasted Veg Pasta Sauce, for example.
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8 Ben’s original

In the 1940s, Mars introduced the first Uncle Ben’s. Since then, the name has been originalized to Ben’s due to criticism regarding the perpetuation of racial stereotypes. The instant rice brand is still popular today, and has a few vegetarian-friendly options, including a plant-based range that offers vegetarian dishes such as tikka masala and chilli non-karan.
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