Mars and Science

To remain a successful business, Mars must deliver quality, nutritious food that is sourced and manufactured in a sustainable way. Science underpins every aspect of this goal. Science is the key to tackling a wide range of societal challenges, from climate change to food security. As one of the world’s leading food manufacturers, Mars has a direct stake in these issues.

That is why we invest in and conduct basic research to enhance basic scientific knowledge, as well as practical research that applies this knowledge in areas where our business interests and society’s interests intersect. Being a private, family-owned company gives us the freedom to invest in activities that may only produce results in the longer term.

Our research covers many topics and we look for commonalities between them. We are using our in-house scientific knowledge and our partnerships with academic and other research organizations to boost supplies of sustainable raw materials, to develop strategies for making our operations more sustainable, to improve the nutritional profile of our products, and to explore the benefits of activities as varied as chewing gum, keeping pets and consuming unique compounds found naturally in food, such as cocoa flavanols. Our Marketing Lab is working with academic institutions to bring discipline and rigor to our marketing activities. Their efforts include applying hard science from fields including applied mathematics, statistics and data-mining, as well as insights from fields such as psychology, cognitive sciences, neurosciences, ethnography, and behavioral economics.

From Cocoa to “Orphan Crops”

Mars scientists partnered with IBM and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sequence and annotate the cocoa genome. The results will lead to quicker, more efficient conventional breeding and allow farmers to plant healthier, stronger, more productive cocoa that will improve their yields and income. Notably, Mars shared the learning from this work publicly to advance research in this area and accelerate the benefits to society and agriculture. The gene map will not be patented.

This successful partnership led to Mars taking a leading role in the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC). This collection of governmental and non-governmental bodies, scientific institutes and companies will map the genomes of some of Africa’s most important food crops to help breeders make them more high-yielding, nutritious and resilient. These “orphan crops” are crucial to African farming families, but have been largely ignored by science because they are not traded internationally. The Consortium’s work can help Africa tackle food scarcity and malnutrition, while improving the incomes of the 600 million Africans involved in farming. Mars co-chairs the AOCC along with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and WWF-US. Work has started on the sequencing of 100 crop varieties, and Consortium breeding centers will be established in Ghana and Kenya.

Combining Rice Research for Health, Nutrition and Sustainability

Rice is another area where we take a holistic approach to our research, which is aligned with societal needs. Mars scientists, led by our rice-breeding specialist David Mackill, are identifying rice varieties that provide increased nutritional value, taste great, emit fewer greenhouse gases and have reduced water impacts.

We are working to deliver a breakthrough on the environmental footprint of rice in our end-to-end supply chain. Rice has one of the highest impacts of any crop in terms of water use and the release of methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG). The challenge is to breed rice that is healthier and more nutritious, while also kinder to the planet.

Mars has been supporting a group of researchers studying the production of GHG emissions caused by rice cultivation in the U.S. and Italy, trying to establish a baseline for the GHG emissions of temperate rice systems and to identify mitigation strategies through improved management practices.

Early results indicate that the lowest GHG emissions per unit of grain yield are achieved using good management practices and just enough nitrogen fertilizer to achieve optimal grain yields. This is good news for both farmers and the environment. Preliminary results from these studies suggest that dry seeding or intermittent irrigation can reduce the length of time fields are flooded and thus cut GHG emissions. Rice varieties may affect levels of GHG emissions, which suggests that future efforts could be directed toward selecting rice varieties that emit less GHG.

Read more about our work to make rice production more sustainable

Our research into cocoa and rice crops provides just two examples of Mars’ use of science to create mutual benefits for its business and for society. There are links to some other significant examples below, and more are referenced throughout this Principles in Action Summary:

• Wrigley’s long history of research into the oral health benefits of chewing sugar-free gum

• Mars Petcare and the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition’s research into the health benefits of human-animal interaction and pet nutrition

• Mars Symbioscience’s research into the health benefits of the flavanols occurring naturally in cocoa

• Mars Food’s research to reduce the water intensity of tomato production, as tomatoes are grown in areas where water scarcity will increasingly be an issue

Much of our research takes place at our own facilities, which include the Mars Center for Cocoa Science in Bahia, Brazil, and the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in the U.K. We employ internationally recognized scientists, work with experts from a broad range of scientific and academic disciplines and, when appropriate, share what we learn for the benefit of the global community.

We publish our research in reputable, peer-reviewed journals for others to learn from and use. We also sponsor, attend and speak at major scientific conferences. Examples include the TEDMED health and medicine conference in 2010 and 2011, and the Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings, which have been bringing together Nobel prize-winners and the world’s most promising young scientists and researchers since 1951. Mars has been involved with the Lindau organization since 2007. We support students from all continents to attend and participate in the meetings, as well as contributing to the discussions and sharing our internal research.

The Mars Science Advisory Council

Mars accesses the best possible science, advice and expertise. One way it does this is through the Mars Science Advisory Council (MSAC), which contains both company and external scientists. MSAC provides guidance on research and quality issues, as well as access to a vast external network that keeps the company abreast of advances, opportunities and challenges. Each of Mars’ segments also has its own science advisory council, and these councils establish research advisory boards and organize peer reviews as needed. MSAC meets regularly, on a monthly basis and twice yearly in person. We regularly invite new members to ensure that our current business priorities are reflected, and the current MSAC members include: