FRANCE – The American confectionery producer, Mars Wrigley has invested US$79.36 million to upgrade its Haguenau M&M’s factory in Alsace, France.
Mars Wrigley Confectionery France has made the investment as part of its commitment to remove titanium dioxide from all of its confectionery products produced in Europe by mid-2020.
The investment is expected to pay for the transformation and development of production lines at the facility to remove titanium dioxide from all products produced at the facility, in order to meet changing consumer expectations.
Additionally, the investment seeks to ensure effectiveness in the control of the entire production process of the M&M’s Mix.
M&M Mix is a product which contains a mix of the Peanut, Chocolate and Crispy varieties produced in the Haguenau factory.
Titanium dioxide is used as a whitener and sometimes as an anti-caking agent in food.
Wrigley’s France has said that significant research and development efforts have been made towards finding an optimal replacement for the ingredient.
This will ensure uniform consistent and uniform product quality and experience for the consumer.
According to a statement made by the company, its desire to meet consumer expectations and production of high quality products have been the major driving forces towards the investment made into the plant.
“After previous investments of US$34.01 million in 2007 and US$45.35 million in 2012, Mars Wrigley Confectionery France continues to develop of its industrial site with a new investment of more than US$79.36 million, which is part of the group’s desire to always meet the expectations of consumers.
“Among its investments, the group plans several industrial projects to ensure the highest standards of quality while developing the plant’s business in the region,’’ said the company’s statement
The projects will particularly involve renewal and reinforcement of the existing equipment with the help of new technologies in order to optimize the efficiency of production.
The Haguenau plant has a capacity of producing more than 130 million M&M’s beads daily, which serves the France market and the export market in nearly 50 countries.
Production of titanium dioxide free M&M’s will start from mid-2019 at the Haguenau factory after the completion of its upgrade.
