Joint Indonesian BPOM and Mars Tests Confirm SNICKERS® Bars and M&M’s® Chocolate Candies Clear of Melamine

26 October 2008 - Indonesia

Adds to overwhelming body of evidence that Mars products are safe for consumption

(Jakarta) Tests of SNICKERS® Bars and M&M’s® Chocolate Candies carried out over the weekend jointly by PT. Mars Symbioscience Indonesia and the Indonesian BPOM confirm that these products are clear of melamine and safe for consumption.

“We are pleased that the re-tests confirm that Mars products are clear of melamine,” said Noel Janetski, President Director of PT Mars Symbiocscience Indonesia. “We have been working closely together with the BPOM to conduct retesting to be absolutely confident that the products are clear of melamine and that Indonesian consumers are fully protected.”

In addition to the results in Indonesia, Mars products made in China have been declared as safe by the governments of Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan and China. Independent laboratories in Australia have tested numerous samples of M&M’s® Chocolate Candies and SNICKERS® Bars taken from products initially placed on hold by the Indonesian BPOM in Jakarta, and all were found to be clear of melamine. More than 100 samples of the milk ingredients used to make the products in China during the last 12 months have been tested by the government of China and an independent lab in Germany and all samples were found to be free of melamine.

Janetski added, “We believe that the consumer is our boss – and that the trust that consumers have in our products is our most critical asset and cannot be compromised. It is this commitment to quality that has, in part, made our brands so popular around the globe. The overwhelming body of evidence, including these new results in Indonesia, confirms that steadfast commitment to quality. We will work swiftly with the BPOM to get M&M’s® Chocolate Candies and SNICKERS® Bars back on the shelves of our trusted retailers as soon as possible, so that consumers can once again enjoy the products they have loved for years.”