Chocolate maker Mars apologised today for a widely mocked decision to use animal products in British chocolate bars and said in future its confection would be suitable for vegetarians.
The company said it was reversing a decision announced last week to change its chocolate recipe to include trace amounts of rennet, a natural enzyme produced from the stomachs of calves which is used in traditional cheese and chocolate making. That recipe change had infuriated vegetarian campaigners. Forty members of parliament signed a protest petition, and the media was bemused.
The Independent newspaper called it a "truly cruel but funny prank played by the universe on vegetarians". The company did its best to sound contrite. "It became very clear, very quickly, that we had made a mistake, for which I am sorry," Fiona Dawson, managing director of the Mars snack food business in Britain, said in a statement.
"There are 3 million vegetarians in the UK and not only did we disappoint them but we upset lots of other consumers," she said. "We have listened to their views and have decided to reverse our decision."
The statement acknowledged the protests from politicians and said Mars had been "swamped" by more than 6,000 calls and e-mails in the days following the announcement.
"We took the original decision in order to broaden our supply base to ensure the availability of our supply, but we underestimated the impact this would have," Ms Dawson said. "I personally commit to make sure that the products we changed will be suitable for vegetarians again in the near future."