- Mars candy brand M&Ms is releasing a documentary film that highlights a little-known problem – the vulnerability of peanuts to climate change.
- The new documentary, which will live on M&M’s social channels, follows fans, farmers and scientists as they work to improve peanuts’ resistance to disease and environmental pressures. The film showcases how M&M’s partnered with the University of Georgia to help create more resilient peanut varieties that would meet the brand’s high standards.
- The brand is also reaching out to its most passionate fans, many of whom had registered complaints about the declining quality of the peanuts in its signature candy.
According to M&M’s, peanuts are surprisingly vulnerable crops. Approximately one-third of them never make it from the pod to the market because of diseases and environmental factors. For M&Ms, the bar is even higher, with only one in every 100 nuts deemed sufficient for M&M’s peanut candy.
The declining quality of its signature product was being noticed by fans, who had begun to complain on social media, particularly on Reddit, about the product tasting different. Understanding how its product was being affected, Mars partnered with the University of Georgia to develop breeding programs that would produce a heartier nut. The company also invested $12 million in farmer premiums to plant peanut varieties that would stay fresher longer.
The documentary follows that story, interviewing scientists, fans and product specialists about the journey. “For M&M’s, our pursuit of the perfect peanut led us to a much bigger challenge: securing its future,” said Amanda Davies, chief R&D, procurement and sustainability officer, Mars Snacking. “Making real progress took generational thinking, real investment, and years of work with farmers, scientists and partners – from the ground up, from soil to snack.”
The brand is also reaching out to its fans, offering product redemption codes to those who voiced their opinions on Reddit and other platforms about the product’s quality, so they can sample the fruits of these efforts.
