A Mars a day will... help you lose weight?

A Mars a day will... be less fattening thanks to a new recipe

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 3:46 PM on 16th January 2010

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Chocoholics can rejoice at a move by Mars which will see the amount of saturated fat in its bars cut by 15 per cent.

The treats covered by the healthy initiative are Snickers, Milky Way, Topic, Flyte - and of course Mars bars.

The move is costing the firm £8.9 million and comes after five years of development and more than 40,000 hours of research.

Mars has announced it is cutting saturated fat by 15 per cent

Mars says the changes will not cause 'any change in the taste or quality' of its products.

Professor Judy Buttriss, director general of the British Nutrition Foundation, said: 'Saturated fat is a health issue that needs addressing by consumers and food manufacturers alike.

'In order to reduce total intakes across the population to below 10 per cent of total energy intake, the formulation of all sources of saturated fat, even popular treats, needs to be tackled.

'Any initiative to reduce the amount of saturated fat in the UK diet is a step in the right direction.'

Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars Chocolate UK, insisted the firm had not compromised on taste.

She said: 'We are proud to have achieved this as a result of many years of research and investment.

'We remain committed to improving the nutritional quality of our products whilst delivering the same great taste to our consumers.'