A Reply to an email asking about the deicsion to use non-vegetaran rennet:
Dear Sir/Madam
Thank you for taking the time to contact us in connection with the
change of ingredients in our chocolate confectionery and ice cream
range.
Please note that after recently changing the source of some of the
whey that is used in some of our chocolate products we have received
lots of feedback that this decision has made it difficult for some of
you, especially those of you who are vegetarians, to continue to
enjoy our products. We realise that we made a mistake and we
apologise. We have committed that we at Mars UK will ensure that a
selection of favourite brands including Mars bars, Snickers bars,
Galaxy and Maltesers will be suitable for vegetarians in the near
future.
Meanwhile we are currently experiencing unusually high volumes of
contacts from our consumers and therefore we hope that you understand
that, rather than answer your question individually, we are attaching
a list of questions and answers we believe would be useful and help
answer your enquiry.
Alternatively you can visit our web site
(
www.masterfoodsconsumercare.co.uk) for this, and other useful
information.
Once again thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please do get
back in touch, at the dedicated email address below, if your specific
query has not been answered and we will do our best to get a speedy
response to you.
Yours faithfully
On Behalf of Fiona Dawson
Mars UK
fionadawson@masterfoods.co.uk
Q1.What are you announcing?
A1.We have recently changed the source of some of the whey which is
used in our chocolate products made in the UK from a vegetarian
friendly variety to one which contains traces of traditional rennet
from animal sources. We have received lots of feedback from consumers
and reversed this decision.
Q2.Are you reverting to vegetarian recipes for all of those products
that were subject to the ingredient change?
A2.Yes, this announcement means that favourite products - Mars bars,
Snickers bars, Galaxy, and Maltesers will once again be suitable for
vegetarians.
Q3.You make lots of other brands - what about the suitability of
them?
A3.Other products will also be suitable for vegetarians including
Minstrels, Revels, and Ripple. However, Twix, Bounty and Celebrations
will continue not to be suitable for vegetarians.
Q4.I'm a vegetarian - which products can I eat / should I avoid?
A4.Currently we cannot guarantee that our products contain vegetarian
rennet. However, we are starting to change our manufacturing process
with immediate effect. We want to get our vegetarian products on the
shelves as soon as possible. During this process of changing the
recipes we will provide updates on this consumer care website, on a
regular basis. If you are not sure about the suitability of our
products please call us on 0845 0450042.
Q5.Why did you decide to change the ingredients in the first place?
A5.We made the change to broaden our supply base in order to ensure
we could continue to provide our consumers with products of
consistent quality in the future.
Q6.Will you now consult with consumers on any future changes to
products?
A6.Yes. This change was a mistake and we are sorry that we may have
prevented consumers from enjoying the products they've always enjoyed.
