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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/14/goodness-knows-what-mars-has-made-just-dont-count-on-chocolate
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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| The new bar from Mars – light on chocolate, light on calories | The new bar from Mars – light on chocolate, light on calories |
| (6 months later) | |
| Last century you could tuck into a Mars bar without being weighed down by too much guilt. | Last century you could tuck into a Mars bar without being weighed down by too much guilt. |
| But fast-forward to 2017 and concerns about Britons’ burgeoning waistlines means the first product launch from Mars in 20 years is only half-covered in chocolate. | But fast-forward to 2017 and concerns about Britons’ burgeoning waistlines means the first product launch from Mars in 20 years is only half-covered in chocolate. |
| The strangely named Goodness Knows is being billed as Mars’s biggest product launch in the UK since Celebrations back in 1997, when we were invited to “share the joy” with mini versions of Twix, Bounty and Snickers united in one box. | The strangely named Goodness Knows is being billed as Mars’s biggest product launch in the UK since Celebrations back in 1997, when we were invited to “share the joy” with mini versions of Twix, Bounty and Snickers united in one box. |
| This time, Mars says Goodness Knows is a treat that comes with “good intentions”. It is good in the sense that the florentine-like biscuit squares have only the thinnest scraping of dark chocolate and even if you shove all four of them in your mouth at once it will only add up to 160 calories. | This time, Mars says Goodness Knows is a treat that comes with “good intentions”. It is good in the sense that the florentine-like biscuit squares have only the thinnest scraping of dark chocolate and even if you shove all four of them in your mouth at once it will only add up to 160 calories. |
| “Brands are at the heart of what we do, but it’s really, really rare that we launch a new one,” said Mars marketing manager Rebecca Shepheard-Walwyn. In a bid to kickstart sales the confectionery giant will pump nearly £5m into advertising the brand in the first year. | “Brands are at the heart of what we do, but it’s really, really rare that we launch a new one,” said Mars marketing manager Rebecca Shepheard-Walwyn. In a bid to kickstart sales the confectionery giant will pump nearly £5m into advertising the brand in the first year. |
| UK chocoholics will munch through £6.2bn worth of the sweet stuff this year, but market research group Euromonitor says we are all spending less and it expects total sales to fall back to £5.8bn by 2022. However, at the same time the snack bar market is growing. | UK chocoholics will munch through £6.2bn worth of the sweet stuff this year, but market research group Euromonitor says we are all spending less and it expects total sales to fall back to £5.8bn by 2022. However, at the same time the snack bar market is growing. |
| The recipe for Goodness Knows was honed in development kitchens at the Mars manufacturing plant in Slough, Berkshire, over the last 18 months. It will also be made in Slough, where production lines will churn out 80,000 of the new squares every hour. They will sell for about 90p a pack. A version is already on sale in the US but Mars has had to make it sweeter for UK tastebuds. | The recipe for Goodness Knows was honed in development kitchens at the Mars manufacturing plant in Slough, Berkshire, over the last 18 months. It will also be made in Slough, where production lines will churn out 80,000 of the new squares every hour. They will sell for about 90p a pack. A version is already on sale in the US but Mars has had to make it sweeter for UK tastebuds. |
| There is no Mars branding on the new snack pack, while the marketing blurb includes the helpful advice that it can be “eaten all at once, or broken up through the day depending on how you feel”. | There is no Mars branding on the new snack pack, while the marketing blurb includes the helpful advice that it can be “eaten all at once, or broken up through the day depending on how you feel”. |
| Shepheard-Walwyn said the product was aimed at modern eating habits. “Most of us are snacking regularly throughout the day on anything from chocolate to an apple. Daily snacking has doubled and people are now spending less than 25 minutes on a single meal.” | Shepheard-Walwyn said the product was aimed at modern eating habits. “Most of us are snacking regularly throughout the day on anything from chocolate to an apple. Daily snacking has doubled and people are now spending less than 25 minutes on a single meal.” |
| “Consumers are also increasingly aware of the importance of healthy weight in prevention of diabetes and other diseases, so minimising sugar and calorie intake is high on consumers’ agenda,” said Euromonitor International analyst Wiebke Schoon. | “Consumers are also increasingly aware of the importance of healthy weight in prevention of diabetes and other diseases, so minimising sugar and calorie intake is high on consumers’ agenda,” said Euromonitor International analyst Wiebke Schoon. |
| “Goodness Knows taps into a lot of current trends,” added Schoon. “Making fruit and nuts the main ingredients appeals to consumers looking for products with a natural positioning.” | “Goodness Knows taps into a lot of current trends,” added Schoon. “Making fruit and nuts the main ingredients appeals to consumers looking for products with a natural positioning.” |
| Malcolm Clark, of the health group Sustain, said that from a nutritional standpoint Goodness Knows looked fine, but he added: “£4.6m is a massive amount of money to spend on advertising a new product. My worry is that this is another example of food giants like Mars simply trying to create more and more ‘snacking opportunities’ for consumers that they don’t actually need.” | Malcolm Clark, of the health group Sustain, said that from a nutritional standpoint Goodness Knows looked fine, but he added: “£4.6m is a massive amount of money to spend on advertising a new product. My worry is that this is another example of food giants like Mars simply trying to create more and more ‘snacking opportunities’ for consumers that they don’t actually need.” |
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