Mars Wrigley invests 70m euros in its Alsace M&M’s factory

March Wrigley Confectionery France has invested €70 million to upgrade its Haguenau M&M’s factory in Alsace, France.

This investment will 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.

The Haguenau plant produces more than 130 million M&M’s beads each day, which are then distributed throughout France and exported to nearly 50 countries.

The production of M&M’s without titanium dioxide will start from mid-2019 at the Haguenau site.

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.

Titanium dioxide is used as a whitener and sometimes as an anti-caking agent in food, and the company claims that significant research and development efforts have been made to find an optimal replacement for the ingredient to ensure the same product quality and experience for the consumer.

As well as ensuring the removal of titanium dioxide, the investment will also ensure that the entire production process of the M&M’s Mix, a product which contains a mix of the Peanut, Chocolate and Crispy varieties, is effectively controlled.

A statement from the company said: “After previous investments of €30 million in 2007 and €40 million in 2012, Mars Wrigley Confectionery France continues to develop of its industrial site with a new investment of more than €70 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.

“This involves, in particular, the renewal and reinforcement of existing equipment with the help of new technologies in order to optimise the efficiency of production, to anticipate the obsolescence of parts and offer the use of new features.”