Global food manufacturer and wholesaler “Mars” is addressing food security issues by introducing its new “Protect the Peanut” plan.

●       “Mars” is one of the five largest buyers of peanuts in the world, purchasing more than 300 million pounds of peanuts every year to supply its global brand portfolio, including the billion-dollar brands “SNICKERS” and “M&M’S”.

●       The peanut-growing industry is facing significant challenges – because of pests and diseases, as much as 30% of the crop never reaches food production.

●       Only one peanut in a hundred is of high enough quality to be used in making “M&M’S”.

●       The company has long been committed to protecting peanut production, having already invested 10 million US dollars in research into natural crop breeding, and is now allocating a further 5 million US dollars to innovative agricultural science over a five-year period.

“Mars, Incorporated” has announced “Mars’s” new “Protect the Peanut” plan – the company’s first organised programme aimed at protecting peanuts against the growing threats that endanger a stable and reliable global supply chain.

“Mars” aims to help reduce the devastating crop losses that currently prevent as much as 30% of peanuts from reaching food production, costing farmers hundreds of millions of dollars and threatening access to an essential source of protein for millions of families around the world. The 5 million US dollars to be invested over five years will be used to fund advanced agricultural methods based on genomic science – this will help grow hardier peanut varieties capable of withstanding pests, diseases and changing weather conditions.

This multi-million-dollar initiative builds on more than a decade of “Mars”-funded peanut research, including some 10 million US dollars invested in advanced scientific initiatives. One of these delivered a major botanical breakthrough that scientists had failed to achieve for generations – mapping the peanut genome.

As a co-founder of the “Peanut Genome” initiative, “Mars” helped map more than 2.5 billion DNA base pairs – roughly as many as in the human genome – and made the data available to the entire industry. This remarkable achievement turned the search for the “perfect” peanut from guesswork into precise genetic science.

“We have long believed that “Mars” can play a unique role as a driver of innovation, which is why we are making long-term investments in science to protect peanuts,” said Amanda Davies, Chief Research, Procurement and Sustainability Officer at “Mars Snacking”. “We know that the “ideal” peanut will not be found by chance. It will take long-term investment, scientific work and the commitment of our partners to turn this potential into real progress. In the end, innovation without implementation is just imagination.”

The “Protect the Peanut” plan is already delivering results. Researchers at the wild peanut laboratory of the University of Georgia, a long-standing “Mars” partner, have developed hardier peanut varieties able to grow in difficult conditions, increasing yields by up to 30%. One of them, “Sempre Verde” (“Forever Green”), is grown in Brazil and requires no fungicides.

“The cultivated peanut was a unique wonder of nature, but we cannot expect that luck to strike twice. Creating hardier peanuts requires transformative science, discipline and partnership,” said Dr Soraya Bertioli, senior researcher at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics. “Put simply – our discoveries would not have been possible without long-term support from “Mars”.”

“Mars’s” “Protect the Peanut” plan also supports work aimed at:

●       Growing drought-tolerant and disease-resistant peanut varieties in collaboration with the University of Georgia’s Tifton campus, the “HudsonAlpha” Institute for Biotechnology and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS).

●       Developing disease-resistant varieties in collaboration with USDA ARS, the “HudsonAlpha” Institute for Biotechnology and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA).

●       Using wild peanut species in Brazil to grow hardier cultivated peanuts in collaboration with the Campinas Agronomic Institute (IAC) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).

All of this forms part of the company’s long-term commitment under its “Sustainable in a Generation” plan.

Find out more about “Mars’s” “Protect the Peanut” plan at www.mars.com/protect-the-peanut.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED

MARS is guided by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned company, MARS is continually transforming, working on innovations and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. With a broad range of high-quality confectionery, food and pet care products and services, the company employs more than 150,000 dedicated associates. With annual sales of almost 50 billion US dollars, MARS produces some of the world’s best-loved brands, including ROYAL CANIN^®, PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, CESAR^®, DOVE^®, ORBIT^®, M&M’S^®, SNICKERS^® and BEN’S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™, offer preventive, general, specialist and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH^® delivers innovation in pet diagnostics. MARS’s five principles are Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom, and they inspire our 150,000 associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.