The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Mars Wrigley has announced a significant investment in its 'Protect the Peanut Plan,' committing an additional $5 million to agriscience initiatives aimed at safeguarding peanut crops from pests, diseases and climate variability.

This move underscores the company's ongoing efforts to address food security challenges while ensuring a reliable supply of peanuts for its popular brands, including Snickers and M&M's.

As one of the world's largest peanut purchasers, Mars sources over 300 million pounds of peanuts annually. However, the peanut supply chain faces considerable threats, with estimates indicating that up to 30% of peanuts fail to reach consumers due to agricultural challenges.

Mars's investment aims to combat these losses and enhance the resilience of peanut varieties through advanced genomic research and crop breeding techniques. The Protect the Peanut Plan builds on Mars's previous commitments, including an initial investment of $10 million in peanut research over the past decade.

This funding has facilitated groundbreaking work, such as the mapping of the peanut genome, which has transformed the understanding of peanut genetics and breeding. Mars has made this genomic data available as open-source information, promoting collaboration within the agricultural community.

Amanda Davies, chief R&D, procurement and sustainability officer for Mars Snacking, highlighted the company's long-term commitment to innovation in agriculture.

"We believe that the perfect peanut won't be discovered by accident," she said. "It will take long-term investment, scientific ingenuity, and the dedication of our incredible partners to keep turning potential into progress."

Mars' partnership with the University of Georgia's Wild Peanut Lab is already yielding tangible results. Researchers have developed more resilient peanut varieties that can increase yields by up to 30%, with one notable variety, Sempre Verde, now being cultivated in Brazil without the need for fungicides. This collaboration exemplifies the company's strategy of leveraging academic partnerships to drive agricultural innovation.

The Protect the Peanut Plan also encompasses initiatives to cultivate drought and disease-resistant peanut varieties in collaboration with various research institutions, including the USDA Agricultural Research Service and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

By using wild peanut species from Brazil, Mars aims to develop new varieties that can withstand environmental pressures, thereby securing a stable supply of peanuts for its products.

This investment aligns with Mars's broader Sustainable in a Generation plan, which seeks to create a more resilient food system while addressing climate change and resource scarcity.