Chocolate giant Mars has certified all of its UK chocolate products as kosher.
Mar has partnered with the Kashrut Division of the London Beth Din (KLBD) to certify its Snickers, Galaxy block, Galaxy Ripple, Galaxy Minstrels and three flavours of Tracker bars as kosher.
The official signing of contracts took place on 4 June and its certification will be updated in the forthcoming Kosher Nosh Guide 2009 at the end of June, the company said.
Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars Chocolate, said: “We want our products to be enjoyed by as many consumers as possible. This is the latest of a series of announcements affecting some of our most iconic products.”
Kosher certification involves investigation and approval of all ingredients and processing aids used, and the signing of a legal contract. With the new agreement in place, Mars will not be able to make any changes to any of the certified products without Beth Din approval and the products will also be subject to regular inspections by a KLBD inspector.
Rabbi Conway, executive director of Kashrut Division of the London Beth Din, said: “I am delighted that one of the world’s leading brands has recognised the significance of the Kosher market and has opted to become fully certified by the KLBD.”
Mars has recently had to defend its plans to use only “sustainable” cocoa in its products by 2020.
The M&M’s-to-Snickers maker teamed up with the Rainforest Alliance in April and said it wants the not-for-profit organisation to certify 100,000 metric tonnes of cocoa annually for use in its products.
The company has since insisted the cocoa sustainability tie-up is “not marketing greenwash”.
