New MARATHON® SMART STUFF™ Bar Offers Nutritious On-The-Go Snack for Active Bodies and Minds

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With increasing time constraints imposed by work, school and personal life, leading an active lifestyle is not always compatible with eating healthy. That's why today, Mars Chocolate North America announced the launch of its MARATHON® SMART STUFF™ Bar, an ideal energy bar choice for healthful, on-the-go snacking.

MARATHON SMART STUFF Bars include wholesome ingredients, like blueberries, cranberries and peanuts, and are made with real chocolate for a taste everyone will love. Available in four flavors - Crunchy Multi Grain, Crunchy Chocolate Crisp, Crunchy Honey Graham and Crunchy Trail Mix - each bar contains a blend of eight essential vitamins and minerals, and is an excellent source of calcium.

Whether hiking with friends, picking up the kids from soccer or looking for a tasty yet healthful option to put in someone's lunch box, MARATHON SMART STUFF Bar is a nutritious and delicious way to snack. Containing 3 to 5 grams of fiber and 140 calories or less per serving, this new energy bar is naturally low in sodium and provides 5 grams of whole grains, with no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners.

"MARATHON SMART STUFF Bar addresses the growing trend of consumers embracing energy bars as a healthier, enjoyable way to get through the day," said John Wyckoff, director of chocolate new ventures, Mars Chocolate North America. "Be it a student rushing in between classes or a mom looking for snacks for her family on a long road trip, this bar totally satisfies by combining great taste with healthy ingredients."

"HEAD-OF-THE-CLASS" NUTRITION

MARATHON® Brand is committed to helping schools provide students with great tasting snack options that give them the fuel they need for their busy day. MARATHON SMART STUFF Bar meets the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Competitive Food Guidelines for Snacks, meaning it has less than 35 percent calories from fat, 10 percent calories from saturated fat and less than 35 percent of weight from sugar. MARATHON SMART STUFF Bar is slated to be available in select middle and high school vending machines and school stores for the 2011 school year.

MARATHON SMART STUFF Bars can be found at select mass, food, drug and convenience stores, as well as select school vending machines.  For more information on MARATHON Brand, including nutritionals, visit www.marathonbars.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