Mars Food Accepts Corporate Excellence Award From American Carbon Registry

SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2018 -- Mars Food accepted the Corporate Excellence Award from American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, on behalf of Mars, Incorporated. The food business was recognized at ACR's 100th annual gala for its leadership in addressing climate change through commitments to sustainable sourcing across its supply chain, most notably rice. These commitments are part of the Mars Sustainable in a Generation Plan, a pledge to make significant strides in reducing the global organization's footprint to create a world in which the next generation can thrive. 

"We are proud to be honored with this award, but more importantly, we're proud of the work Mars Food is doing in partnership with Winrock. At Mars, we believe it's important that we grow in a way that's not only good for our business, but also for people and the planet. That's why we have prioritized creating shared benefits for rice growers and the environment, while also producing a high-quality rice crop for the billions of people who depend on it for nutrition and a livelihood," said Denis Winkler, vice president of supply chain for global Mars Food.  

Rice is a food staple for half of the world's peoples and accounts for 20 percent of the global population's caloric intake. Mars Food is the maker of UNCLE BEN'S®, the world's largest rice brand, so Mars' commitment to sustainable rice production is essential. As a key partner of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP), co-convened in 2015 by the U.N. Environment Program and the International Rice Research Institute, Mars has pledged to source all its rice from farmers working toward the SRP by 2020. 

To meet this ambitious goal and to increase the quality of rice for millions of families for decades to come, Mars has invested in research and farmer education and is partnering with growers, NGOs and universities to transform the production of rice farms around the world to enhance water use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve yields and increase incomes. Mars is working with almost 2,000 farmers in India and Pakistan – where the organization's efforts have resulted in a significant increase in farmer incomes and rice yields – and has similar programs in Cambodia and Thailand. 

"Our pilots with Basmati rice farmers in Pakistan show a 32 percent increase in farmer income and a 30 percent reduction in water used. As we extend these programs across our supply chain, we have the potential to make a notable global impact," said Winkler. 

In the U.S., Mars Food is collaborating with Winrock, also an SRP member, to adapt the SRP for the U.S. and grow its base of U.S. sustainably-sourced rice. U.S. growers working with Mars include those who earned the first carbon offsets in the world from sustainable rice production, issued by ACR in 2017. Several of Mars' supplier partners source from farmers applying such new techniques as Alternate Wetting and Drying, which has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent. 

For more information about Mars sustainability initiatives around sourcing rice, please reach out to Caroline Sherman([email protected]), vice president of corporate affairs at Mars Food North America. 

About Mars Food 
Mars Food is a fast-growing food business, making tastier, healthier, easier meals for all consumers to enjoy. Headquartered in London, Mars Food is a leader in producing great tasting products.  Our portfolio includes the following brands: UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, SEEDS OF CHANGE®, Tasty Bite®, MasterFoods®, SUZI WAN®, EBLY®, ROYCO®, KAN TONG® and RARIS®.  Our ambition is to become a model business in the areas of health and nutrition and sustainability, as expressed by our purpose: Better Food Today.  A Better World Tomorrow. Mars Food is a segment of Mars, Incorporated. For more information, please visit www.mars.com.