Maltesers

Is Maltesers an ethical brand?

Maltesers is a chocolate manufactured by Mars Inc. Maltesers were first sold in 1936 and were previously rated as the UK’s most popular confectionery in a YouGov poll. Unfortunately, Maltesers has a low score on The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table and cannot be considered ethical.

Although Maltesers have not met our ethical benchmark yet, we hope that it will make progress in the future to reach it. However, this would require significant work both by the brand and its parent company, Mars.

You can find out more about Ethical Chocolate and how other brands score against Malteser in our Ethical Chocolate Ratings Tables.

Where does Maltesers perform well for its ethics?

Maltesers receives a top score for its Environmental Report, as Mars has a Sustainability Report which includes commitments to environmental progress.

Maltesers also receives a middle rating in the Fairtrade category, as some of its products are certified by the Fairtrade Foundation.

Where does Maltesers perform poorly? 

Maltesers receives a bottom score on The Good Shopping Guide’s table for Genetic Modification. Maltesers’ manufacturer Mars has stated that it believes that “genetically-modified/engineered ingredients are safe.” However, under our criteria, brands which use Genetically-Modified ingredients receive a bottom score as scientists cannot know if they are truly safe for consumption.

A bottom score is also given to Maltesers for Animal Welfare as Mars continues to fund unethical animal tests despite the fact there are more reliable human tests readily available.

How can Maltesers improve its ethical rating?

Maltesers’ score in The Good Shopping Guide is the result of the calculation of some of our ethical criteria. In order to reach our minimum benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Maltesers needs to work on a wide range of issues. This includes improving upon its bottom scores for Genetic Modification and Animal Welfare.

Hopefully, Maltesers will improve upon these bottom ratings so it can see its score rise on the Ethical Chocolate Ratings Table.

Could Ethical Accreditation be right for your chocolate brand? See our Ratings Tables to see which other brands have achieved this ethics and sustainability certification. Get in touch to find out more, or fill out a rapid initial assessment form.