[Avodah] Mars Bars in the UK

[Chana Luntz]

[Please don't use "RMB" -- there are three of us now posting with any
regularity. -micha]

I wrote:
> " (unlike in the UK, where the
> Jewish market is sufficiently small that Mars is highly unlikely to
> change its policy just because of the Jews)

And [R Martin Brody] replied:
> Not so fast. Mars and many of its products in its line did in fact
> change their formulae and they are certified kosher with the KLBD D
> logo.

That isn't the way I understand it. What happened was that the vegetarians
who do have real power in the UK jumped up and down and made it impossible
for Mars to produce products that were in any way animal sourced (or
by-products of rennet that was animal sourced etc).  At which point, Mars
decided, well if we are going to have to have products that satisfy the
vegetarians, we might as well get a full fledged KLBD hecsher as well.  Ie
the chronology was this - 2007 Mars decided that it was going to switch to
using whey produced using animal rennet (presumably for economic reasons).
The vegetarians jumped up and down and got Mars to reverse this policy.
2009 Mars gets an KLBD hecsher, after negotiating for two years.  Had there
been no vegetarians to be concerned about, I am convinced that Mars would
never have moved to merely accommodate the Jews. 
 
> --
> Martin Brody
> 310 474 1856

Regards

Chana