Mars, Incorporated will fully acquire KIND North America, three years after Mars took a minority stake in the snacking company.

Mars, Incorporated says its Palm Positive Plan has delivered a deforestation-free palm oil supply chain, a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to tackle deforestation and advance respect for human rights.

Mars, Inc. and the Rainforest Alliance, in partnership with Touton and the Grameen Foundation, have launched in Ghana SAT4Farming, an initiative using digital technology and satellite imagery to guide farmers over a seven-year period.

A federal appeals court has agreed that Mars, Inc. and other food manufacturers have no duty under California consumer protection laws to disclose on product packages that their supply chains may contain child labor.

Mars, Inc. plans to triple its global cocoa yield through developing more disease-resistant clones and continuing to improve farmer practices based on genetic knowledge of cocoa.

Looking to make a world a “KIND”er place, as well as provide the company with a powerful healthy snacking brand, Mars, Inc. announced a strategic partnership with KIND, a New York City-based manufacturer of healthy snack bars whose recipes include ingredients such as whole nuts, seeds, whole grains and pieces of fruit. 

Four confectionery and snack giants have partnered with the Zurich-based Jacobs Foundation to improve education and support women and families in cocoa-producing communities of Cote D’Ivoire.

Ethel M Chocolates, the premium division of Mars, Inc., is ready to celebrate. The company has wrapped up a three-month, multimillion-dollar renovation of its Henderson, Nev.-based factory store.

Mars, Inc., announced Thursday it will combine its chocolate segment and its Wrigley subsidiary to form a new division, Mars Wrigley Confectionery, further cementing Mars’ status as a global confectionery leader.

As the premium chocolate division of Mars, Inc., Ethel M emphasizes its tradition of creating handmade and preservative-free confections. However, over the last two years the brand has looked for ways to “reposition itself” and make new connections, Young says.