Deep-fried Mars bars disowned by chocolate firm

[dirtydog]

Deep-fried Mars bars disowned by chocolate firm

Chocolate manufacturing giant Mars has distanced itself from the famous deep-fried Mars bar by seeking a disclaimer.

The Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven, in Aberdeenshire, claims to be the birthplace of the recipe almost two decades ago.

Plans to bid for EU protected geographical status were dropped.

Mars has written to the owners saying the product is not authorised or endorsed as it does not fit the company's promotion of healthy living.

A menu disclaimer is being sought, to make people aware deep-frying is not what the company has in mind for its product.

A Mars spokesperson said: "We are really flattered that customers of Carron Fish Bar like our product so much that it has now become a flagship product for the store.

"No application for a protected geographical indication has been filed to date.
"Should an application be filed, unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to support it as deep-frying one of our products would go against our commitment to promoting healthy, active lifestyles."

'Craziest takeaway'

Lorraine Watson from the Carron Fish Bar told BBC Scotland she had written to Mars to say she was happy to put up a "disclaimer" notice in the shop.


Mark Cruickshank, a senior solicitor with Brodies intellectual property department, told BBC Scotland: "I suspect Mars is concerned that the deep-frying of its products is not in line with its policy of promoting a healthy lifestyle and it is keen to take steps to protect its own brand."

He said Mars would have been aware that they should not be "too heavy-handed" and risk a backlash against their product in Scotland.

Mr Cruickshank said: "In the letter they have asked for a disclaimer to be put on the menu and on the fish shop wall.

"It seems that Mrs Watson is happy to do that and it seems the parties have reached a good compromise here."

The deep-fried Mars bar has become synonymous with negative aspects of the Scottish diet since it was first reported in the Daily Record in 1995.

The newspaper called the phenomenon, with its links to Stonehaven, "Scotland's craziest takeaway" and said "sweet-toothed youngsters are ordering their favourite choc bars deep-fried in batter".

By 2004, the reputation of the deep-fried Mars bar had travelled the Atlantic and it was mentioned on the Jay Leno Show in the US.

Later that year, UK medical magazine The Lancet published research from two Glasgow-based public health experts who thought the craze could be an urban myth as they had never met anyone who had eaten one.

They surveyed hundreds of fish and chip shops in Scotland to find out if "the delicacy" was available and if people were actually buying them.

It found 66 shops which sold them, 22% of those who had answered the survey.

BBC News - Deep-fried Mars bars disowned by chocolate firm

[nidhogg]

Am I the only one having difficult associating Mars bars, even not deep fried, with "a healthy lifestyle"?

[Thetyim]

^
I always associate Mars bars with Marian Faithful

[nidhogg]

^
I always associate Mars bars with Marian Faithful

Marianne Faithfull was quite cute in those days, but aged pretty badly:




(the mars bar thing was of course an urban legend)



back on theme though, still can't get over Mars saying they dissociate themselves from deep fried mars bars as it is not consistent with their promotion of "healthy living"

There is bugger all healthy about mars bars:


One Mars bar weighs 58 g. Each bar contains 260 calories per 58 g serving, or about 449 calories per 100 g. One Mars bar accounts for about 13 percent of the daily caloric value for a 2,000-calorie diet.

A Mars bar contains 40 g of carbohydrate, 34.6 g of which are from sugar

One Mars bar contains 9.9 g of fat, and about half of this exists in the form of saturated fat

Each Mars bar contains 90 mg of sodium



About the only thing Mars could honestly say is : Mars bars, a nutritional disaster,and the only thing that could make it worse is battering it and deep frying it in oil, so we don't recommend doing that....

[Zooheekock]

How nice of Mars to send off a press release letting the world know about this. How's that for corporate responsibility?