3 MUSKETEERS® Bar Delivers More Chocolate Taste

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., May 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to the taste of chocolate, more is better!  Mars Chocolate North America today announced the national launch of a tastier 3 MUSKETEERS® Bar, featuring an updated recipe that delivers a richer chocolate taste.  Fans will still recognize the light and fluffy texture they have enjoyed for more than 75 years, and will be delighted that the new recipe intensifies its great taste.

"We've taken it to the next level with the introduction of 3 MUSKETEERS® with more chocolate taste," said Debra A. Sandler, Chief Consumer Officer for Mars Chocolate North America. "The updated 3 MUSKETEERS® bar still has the same fluffy personality that consumers love, with even more chocolate taste than before."

As a simple chocolate treat, 3 MUSKETEERS® continues to offer a delicate, light and fluffy nougat center wrapped in delectable 3 MUSKETEERS® chocolate.  The new recipe adds more satisfying chocolate taste to the delicious nougat, making it unmistakably fulfilling.  The nougat refinement enhances everything loyalists love about the bar.  With 45 percent less fat than average of the leading chocolate brands, the new 3 MUSKETEERS® bar still offers a great tasting, lighter way to enjoy chocolate.

The reformulated 3 MUSKETEERS® will be fully supported by a national marketing campaign which includes a new :30 second TV spot beginning May 16, print and digital advertising, and in-store and consumer promotions.

The new 3 MUSKETEERS® Bar is available at select supermarkets, convenience stores, and various mass retailers nationwide. The suggested retail price is $.79.

For more information on the new 3 MUSKETEERS® Bar, visit www.3musketeers.com or the 3 MUSKETEERS® Facebook page at www.facebook.com/3musketeers.

About 3 MUSKETEERS®:

For over 75 years, 3 MUSKETEERS® has provided chocolate lovers a light and fluffy chocolate treat, with 45% less fat than average of the leading chocolate brands. In 2010, 3 MUSKETEERS® Brand expanded its portfolio to include 3 MUSKETEERS® Brand Truffle Crisp, a unique merger of whipped truffle, airy crisp and milk chocolate.  In 2007, 3 MUSKETEERS® Brand added 3 MUSKETEERS® MINT, the perfect combination of delicate mint nougat dipped in dark chocolate. 3 MUSKETEERS® is owned by Mars Chocolate North America, a division of Mars Incorporated, one of the world's leading food manufacturers. Detailed product information is available online at www.3musketeers.com.

About Mars Chocolate North America:

Mars Chocolate North America is the North American chocolate operations of Mars, Incorporated.  In 1911, Frank C. Mars made the first Mars candies in his Tacoma, Washington kitchen and established Mars' first roots as a confectionery company.  In the 1920s, Forrest E. Mars, Sr. joined his father in business and together they launched the MILKY WAY® bar.  In 1932, Forrest, Sr. moved to the United Kingdom with a dream of  building a business based on the philosophy of a "mutuality of benefits" for all stakeholders – this vision serves as the foundation of the Mars, Incorporated we are today.  Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $30 billion and six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience.  More than 65,000 Associates worldwide are putting our Mars Principles in action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

Mars brands include: Chocolate – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY® and TWIX®; Petcare – PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, CESAR® and ROYAL CANIN®; Wrigley – ORBIT®, EXTRA®, STARBURST®, DOUBLEMINT® and SKITTLES®; Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS® and SEEDS OF CHANGE®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA CO.™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience –SERAMIS®, CIRKU™ and COCOAVIA™.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com.

SOURCE Mars Chocolate North America