Snickers (stylized in all caps) is a chocolate bar consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts, all encased in milk chocolate. The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is over $380 million,[1][2][3] and it is widely considered the bestselling candy bar in the world.[4][5]
Snickers was introduced by Mars in 1930 and named after the Mars family's favorite horse. Snickers has expanded its product line to include variations such as mini, dark chocolate, white chocolate, ice cream bars, and several nut, flavor, and protein-enhanced versions. Ingredients have evolved from its original formulation to adapt to changing consumer preferences and nutritional guidelines. Despite fluctuations in bar size and controversies around health and advertising, Snickers remains a prominent snack worldwide, sponsoring significant sporting events and introducing notable marketing campaigns.
History
In 1930,[6] the Mars Candy Factory in Chicago introduced Snickers, named after the favorite horse of the Mars family.[7] The Snickers chocolate bar consists of nougat, peanuts, and caramel with a chocolate coating.
After Forrest Mars Sr. took control of his late father's company in the 1960s,[8] Snickers availability was expanded internationally. It launched in Great Britain and West Germany in 1968[9][10] followed by a number of other markets. In both Britain and Ireland, the product was marketed under the name "Marathon" instead. This was allegedly done because of the "Snickers" name similarity to the local term knickers
Contents
Ingredients
A circa 1939 ingredient list for the original bar included white sugar, sweet milk chocolate, corn syrup, peanuts, milk condensed with sugar, coconut oil, malted milk, egg whites and salt.[23] By 2019, the ingredients for the original bar had been changed to: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, skim milk, lactose, milkfat, soy lecithin), peanuts, corn syrup, sugar, palm oil, skim milk, lactose, salt, egg whites, artificial flavor.[24]
Caloric value
The USDA lists the caloric value of a 2-ounce (57 gram) Snickers bar as 280 kcal.[25] As of 2018 a British marketed bar has a weight of 48 g, with 245 kcal,[26]
Products containing Snickers
Deep fried chocolate bars (including Snickers and Mars bars) became a specialty in fish and chips shops in Scotland in 1995,[29] it also became popular at American state fairs in the early 2000s.[30] The cooked product contains approximately 450 Cal per bar.[31]
In 2006, the British Food Commission highlighted celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson's "Snickers pie",[32] which contained five Snickers bars among other ingredients, suggesting it was one of the unhealthiest desserts ever; one slice providing "over 1250 Cal from sugar and fat alone", more than half a day's requirement for an average adult. The pie had featured on his BBC Saturday programme some two years earlier and the chef described it as an occasional treat only.[33]
Advertising
"It's so satisfying"
In 1980, Snickers (and Marathon) ran ads which featured a variety of everyday people discussing why they like Snickers. The ads featured a jingle that said "It's so satisfying" and depicted a hand that would open and close showing a handful of peanuts converting to a Snickers bar. "Packed with peanuts, Snickers really satisfies" was shown in the commercials.[34]
1984 Olympics
Mars paid $5 million to have Snickers and M&M's named the "official snack" of the 1984 Summer Olympics, outraging nutritionists.[35] Sports promotions in international games continued to be a prominent marketing tool for Mars, keeping Snickers as an international brand while also selling local bars in some markets.[36]
Controversy
King-Size phaseout
A replacement for the king size Snickers bar was launched in the UK in 2004, and designed to conform to the September 2004 Food and Drink Federation (FDF) "Manifesto for Food and Health". Part of the FDF manifesto was seven pledges of action to encourage the food and drink industry to be more health conscious.[67] Reducing portion size, clearer food labels, and reduction of the levels of fat, sugar, and salt were among the FDF pledges. Mars Incorporated pledged to phase out their king-size bars in 2005 and replace them with shareable bars. A Mars spokesman said: "Our king-size bars that come in one portion will be changed so they are shareable or can be consumed on more than one occasion. The name king-size will be phased out."[67]
These were eventually replaced by the 'Duo' – a double bar pack. Though this change to Duos reduced the weight from 3.5 to 3.29 oz, the price remained the same. The packaging has step-by-step picture instructions of how to open a Duo into two bars, in four simple actions.[68] As Mars stated fulfillment of their promise, the Duo format was met with criticism by the National Obesity Forum and
Snickers products
The following variants are available in the United States.[74]
See also
External links
References
- E.J. Schultz. Snickers Surging to Top of Global Candy Race Ad Age, September 20, 2012, retrieved 2022-11-01^
- Hitesh Bhasin. SWOT Analysis of Snickers Marketing91, December 4, 2017, retrieved 2023-11-21^
- Top 10 Largest Candy Brands in the United States