Mars, Incorporated Earns 2013 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award

CHICAGO, July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated recently received the 2013 Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), recognizing Mars' leadership and commitment to research on cocoa flavanols, a plant nutrient shown to have a range of proven benefits for human health. The annual award honors a company or organization for an outstanding development that represents a significant advance in the application of food science and technology to food production and was presented at the IFT 13 Annual Meeting and Food Expo.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62568-mars-inc-2013-food-tech-award-cocoa-flavanol-research

Mars has innovated in the field of nutrition science for over 20 years, taking a comprehensive and systematic approach to researching cocoa flavanols' role in supporting human health, while inspiring others to conduct research that expands the overall scientific understanding of cocoa flavanols. Mars applies gold standard scientific methods to its cocoa flavanol research to achieve a high level of scientific rigor, including a comprehensive scientific program spanning from analytical to human clinical trials, collaboration with leading global scientists and publication in the most prestigious health and science journals. To date, Mars and our collaborators have published more than 140 scientific papers on cocoa flavanols in peer-reviewed journals and Mars holds nearly 100 patents worldwide.

Mars studies show cocoa flavanols have a range of proven health benefits in humans, including improved circulation and cardiovascular health. Specifically, research has demonstrated:

• Improvements in endothelial function, observed in younger and older adults without cardiovascular disease, adults with compromised cardiovascular health including people living with diabetes, smokers, the elderly and adults with coronary artery disease
• Significant improvements in blood pressure and blood pressure measurements 
• Cocoa flavanols help support healthy blood vessel function and the overall health of the cardiovascular system by supporting the body's production of nitric oxide, a molecule important to the health of the cardiovascular system

Preliminary Mars cocoa flavanol research also demonstrates additional health benefits related to cardiovascular health, specifically in cerebrovascular functions like cognition. Potential benefits include:

• Improvements in blood flow and perfusion of the brain
• Significant increase of cerebral blood flow in older, healthy adults
• Potential improvement of working memory and executive function among healthy adults with early memory decline

"At Mars, we've demonstrated the potential of cocoa flavanols and we are dedicated to continuing research that will help illuminate their benefits, and today we are proudly applying this research to products that can support cardiovascular health," said Catherine Kwik-Uribe, Ph.D., Director of Research & Development, Mars Symbioscience. "We are honored IFT has recognized our passion and dedication to scientific research to improve human health, and we look forward to advancing cocoa flavanol research in the future."

Dr. Kwik-Uribe and Dr. Rebecca Robbins, Senior Research Scientist, in the Science and Technology group of Mars, Incorporated, Hackettstown, NJ, who contributed significant advances in the quantitative analyses of cocoa flavanols, jointly accepted the award on behalf of Mars on Saturday, July 13, 2013, at the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Chicago. IFT has awarded the Food Technology Industrial Achievement Award annually since 1959.

About IFT

For more than 70 years, IFT has existed to advance the science of food. A nonprofit scientific society—more than 18,000 members from more than 100 countries—brings together food scientists, technologists and related professions from academia, government and industry. For more information, please visit www.ift.org.

The IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo, one of the most influential food tradeshows of the year, is the industry's largest collection of food ingredients, equipment, processing and packaging suppliers with more than 20,000 professionals in attendance.

About Cocoa Flavanols

Cocoa flavanols refer to the group of phytonutrients found naturally in cocoa beans. Cocoa is an especially rich source of flavanols and the type and mixture of flavanols and procyanidins found in cocoa is unique. Mars studies show cocoa flavanols have a range of proven health benefits, including improved circulation and cardiovascular health. For more information, please visit Mars Center for Cocoa Health Science at www.marscocoascience.com. 

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars Symbioscience is the technology-based health and life sciences business of Mars, Incorporated, with a deep commitment to fundamental cocoa flavanol research. 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 objective of creating a "mutuality of benefits for all stakeholders" – this objective serves as the foundation of Mars, Incorporated today. Based in McLean, Virginia, Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, six business segments including Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 72,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

For more information, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us: facebook.com/mars, twitter.com/marsglobal, youtube.com/mars.

SOURCE Mars, Incorporated