Mars expands into the ready-meals space

In response to changing consumer demands, Mars Food & Nutrition has expanded into the ready meals space — launching Ben’s Original Street Food in the US and Canada and Ben’s Original Lunch Bowls and Favourites in the UK.

According to US research, around 50% of consumers are spending fewer than 15 minutes daily on meal preparation but they don’t want to sacrifice flavour, and healthy eating is still a top priority.

To address these demands with its new ready meals, the Mars Food & Nutrition team engaged consumers in the development, tapped into chefs’ creativity and leveraged AI powered insights. The next step in the process was to ensure the meals were nutritious and could be eaten regularly as a healthier choice. Finally, they addressed consumer pain points related to time spent cooking and the desire to have meals ready almost immediately.

All the new ready-meal products meet Mars Food & Nutrition’s nutrition criteria based on strict and widely agreed recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other leading public health authorities, and contribute to its five-year Health & Wellbeing commitments.

• Street Food range of entrées comes in four flavours options packed with fibre and protein.
• Lunch Bowls contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and include a range of grain and vegetable bowls with different grains and products that are a source of fibre and high in protein.
• Favourites range includes ready to eat, rice-based dishes with vegetables and flavours from around the world.

In addition to extending its core range of ready meals, the company has acquired new businesses, such as Kevin’s Natural Foods that grew 50% in 2023 and recently launched a new line of frozen products.