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Confectionary giant Mars is launching animal-free chocolate in the US.
Mars is the world’s biggest chocolate brand. It has already launched vegan versions of its popular chocolate bars Bounty, Topic, and Galaxy in the UK. But this is the first time it’s launching a dairy-free, sustainability-focused chocolate bar in the US.
Called CO2COA, Perfect Day helped to create the new plant-based offering. The food tech company creates animal-free milk protein with microflora.
Perfect Day’s product is far better for the environment than dairy. It produces up to 97 percent fewer greenhouse gasses and using up to 99 percent less water. This is why Mars has chosen the name CO2COA, as a nod to the new bar’s sustainability credentials.
Ryan Pandya, who co-founded Perfect Day and serves as its CEO, says its partnership with Mars is important. “[It’s] a hallmark example of how we’re extending our impact,” he said.
“Today, companies big and small need to deliver on the needs of their consumers. [They] won’t compromise on taste or the future of our planet.”
The new chocolate also uses Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa. The packaging is paper-based.
Trying to ‘act differently’
Mars’ chief sustainability officer, Alastair Child, said that CO2COA is an example of how the chocolate giant is trying to “think and act differently.”
“From certified cocoa and a reduction in CO2 emissions to animal-free dairy, CO2COA was thoughtfully designed as we work to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across Mars’ full value chain by 2050,” he noted.
Around the world, the vegan chocolate confectionery market is starting to expand significantly.
Right now, it’s worth more than $467 million. This is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.8 percent in the next seven years, says Grand View Research.
The business consulting firm cited the “increasing acceptance of veganism among consumers” as one key factor for the market’s growth.
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