Didn't you like your Mars bars the way that they have been since the last 70 years.

Why one earth have they given them a makeover. The reason to make them more suitable and popular with women.

Well at least the new slogan "pleasure you can't measure" might appeal to women but in a different sort of way and surely not the intended one. LOL. This is the new slogan of Mars and replaces one of the most well known slogans ever in "A Mars a day helps you work rest and play".

A Mars bar consists of a block of nougat, which is first covered in a thick layer of chewy and gooey caramel and then an even thicker layer of chocolate.

The old and new Mars bars both contain the same ingredients but with the new one the nougat has been given an extra whip in order to make it lighter in texture and basically almost identical as a Milky Way.

This makeover was undergone in order to gain an even larger market share and to target a wider customer base notably more women. It was said to have been considered too masculine by women and the general sway of advertizing pointed to running, football and generally things very sweaty, sporty and manly.

Personally I much rather preferred the older version of the Mars Bar and its jaw aching chewy composition. This could last you a little while and you felt as if you were eating something of real substance and quality.

So what are the differences between the old and newer versions. Here they are then:

Composition
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The composition of both remain unchanged. The only difference being that the inner nougat, which makes up a majority of the bar, has been excessively whipped.

Weight & Size
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Due to the nougat having been whipped and thus becoming a lot less dense, this has actually reduced the weight of the actual bar even though the size remain indentical. The new bars are 2.5gms lighter than the older ve
rsion.

Calories
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The new bar has the same 477 calories per 100gms but due to the ligher weight they contain a lesser amount of calories at 281 calories per bar. Mars bars comprise of three different types of chocolate and high sugar levels and thus the high calorie levels.

The Wrapper
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The wrapper is basically the same. The colours of gold, black and red are unchanged. The changes have been very minor and only the sporty underline, under the word "Mars" has been removed. The makers feel that this will make Mars look a bit feminine.

Taste & Feel
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Although the taste is almost the same one of the enjoyments of eating a Mars bar was for that "big chocolate" feeling. With the new type the interior of the chocolate has been drastically tampered with and has left you with a "Milky Way" type of chocolate that just is not the same.
Usually a Mars bars would take a bit of time to consume but with the new type you could finish it almost immediately.

Price
-----

The standard bars go for just £1.19 for a pack of 6 bars. The Snacksize ones go for £1.59 for a pack of 10.

They are available at all major supermarkets cheaply and also at all corner shops, newsagents at slightly higher prices.


Mars bar were first produced in Slough in 1932 and from that time on this has been the first major change that has taken place to the actual chocolate bar.

I personally do not know why companies are tampering with a time honoured tradition and one that millions of people know and enjoy.

As mentioned earlier the makers have tried to target the females in this new look bar. The number of males and females that eat chocolate are almost the same. However females consume considerably more chocolate than males on an individual basis and therefore the need has arisen to target them.

Mars bar sales have dropped
from 2.0 billion to just 1.09 billion pounds last year and therefore the need to address the situation as become very important.

There was on chocolate lover who has been eating Mars every day for the last 30 years. He was so alarmed at the fact that Mars were changing the recipe and decided to stock up on the old version just in case he did not like the new one.
He spent £300 on purchasing 1,400 Mars bars, which he has stored in his freezer and fridge at home. The makers Masterfood informed him that they will remain good until 2005 and as long as he remembers to properly defrost the bars before removing the wrappers.

Now this is an unlikely scenario for most of us but personally after tasting the new bar I wish I had at least picked up at least 20 or 30 of the older bars myself.

It's not that the new version is bad, rather they taste identical to the older version. The difference is in eating it. It is certainly not the same as before and totally lacks that "jaw aching" texture.

Yes I will probably keep on buying them but certainly not with the same fervor and anticipation that I used to before.

Bring back the old, original and enduring classic Mars Bar.