Mars doubles down on pursuit of perfect peanut, investing $5M in pioneering agri-science

The snacking stalwart is tackling food security head on with its new Protect the Peanut Plan.

• Mars is one of the world's top five peanut buyers, purchasing over 300 million pounds each year to supply its global brand portfolio, including billion-dollar brands like SNICKERS and M&M'S.
• The peanut is under pressure, with up to 30% of the loved legume never making it from pod to plate due to pests and disease.
• Only 1 in 100 peanuts are good enough to become Peanut M&M'S.
• The company has long been committed to protecting the peanut — initially investing $10M to date on breakthrough natural crop breeding and now pledging another $5M to pioneering agriscience over five-years.

CHICAGO, July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mars, Incorporated, is announcing the Mars Protect the Peanut Plan, the company's first organized program aimed at safeguarding the peanut against increasing pressures that threaten the reliability of global supply.

Mars has a clear goal of helping to stem the tide of devastating crop losses that currently prevent up to 30% of peanuts from making it from pod to plate, costing farmers hundreds of millions of dollars and jeopardizing a key source of protein for millions of families worldwide. Backed by a five-year, $5 million investment, the plan will fund advanced techniques -powered by unprecedented genomic science -  to grow hardier peanut varieties that can stand up to rising pressure from pests, disease, and unpredictable weather.

The multi-million-dollar commitment builds on more than a decade of Mars-funded peanut research, including approximately $10 million invested across a suite of state-of-the-art scientific efforts. One of which is helping to crack the code on a botanical breakthrough that had eluded scientists for generations: mapping the peanut genome.

As a co-founder of the Peanut Genome Initiative, Mars helped map more than 2.5 billion base pairs of DNA — roughly equivalent to the human genome — and has shared the data as open-source science available to the entire industry. This groundbreaking effort has transformed the search for the perfect peanut from guesswork to genetic precision.

"We have long believed that Mars can play a unique role as an engine of innovation, which is why we're thinking in generations and betting big on science to protect the peanut," said Amanda Davies, Chief R&D, Procurement and Sustainability Officer, Mars Snacking. "We know that the perfect peanut won't be discovered by accident. It will take long-term investment, scientific ingenuity, and the dedication of our incredible partners to keep turning potential into progress — from the greenhouse to the farmer's field. After all, innovation without implementation is just imagination."

The Protect the Peanut Plan is already yielding results. Peanut pioneers at the University of Georgia's Wild Peanut Lab — a long-time Mars partner — have developed more resilient peanut varieties that can thrive in tough conditions, boosting yields by up to 30%. One such variety, Sempre Verde ("Forever Green"), is now being grown in Brazil and requires no fungicides.

"The cultivated peanut was a once-in-a-millennium accident of nature, but we can't afford to wait for chance to strike twice. Creating more resilient peanuts requires transformative science, discipline and partnership," said Dr. Soraya Bertioli, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Plant Pathology, Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, University of Georgia. "Simply put: Our breakthroughs would not be possible without the long-term support of Mars."

The Mars Protect the Peanut Plan is also backing work to:

• Cultivate drought —and disease — resistant peanut varieties in partnership with the University of Georgia Tifton Campus, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
• Develop disease-resistant peanut varieties in partnership with USDA ARS, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA).
• Use wild peanut species in Brazil to cultivate more resilient peanuts in partnership with Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA).

It's all part of the company's long-term commitment to the Sustainable in a Generation plan.

Learn more about the Mars Protect the Peanut Plan at www.mars.com/protect-the-peanut.

ABOUT MARS, INCORPORATED 

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As an approximately $55bn family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M'S®, SNICKERS® and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles — Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom — inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet. 

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. 

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated