Video: Nutrition Comes to NASCAR

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Prolific NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd celebrates his 900th career start at the California Speedway on Sept. 2nd - a milestone achieved by just one other driver in this beloved sport. For this race, Rudd's #88 Snickers(R) Ford Fusion will be outfitted with a new brand - Generation Max(R) - a groundbreaking line of snacks from Mars, Incorporated that will drive a major shift in school snacking this 2007-2008 school year.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070901/CLSA001 )

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/elevationgroup/29492/

Generation Max(TM) welcomes students back to school

Today's students face incredible demands during the weekday from academics, extracurricular activities and sports. School vending machines are often the only source of extra fuel for the extended school day. Seventy-four percent of middle schools and 98% of high schools have vending machines, canteens or snack bars where students can purchase food or beverages(1). School districts are seeking lower sugar, lower fat, high-nutrition fare to serve in schools, including vending machines.

A challenge was presented: make great tasting, nutritious snacks, so good in fact that students might not even know they are better for them. Mars, Incorporated delivers this for the 2007 - 2008 school year with Generation Max(R), a line of ten snacks ranging from brownie bars to pizza crackers, with the great flavors of favorite Mars brands such as Snickers(R), 3 Musketeers(R), Combos(R), Twix(R) and M&M'S(R).

The Stats

Just like Rudd, Generation Max(TM) has impressive numbers. Every single- serve snack has fewer than 150 calories. Each snack has less than 35% of calories from fat, less than 10% of calories from saturated fat and less than 35% sugar by weight. This meets one of the most stringent nutrition guidelines, called "35:10:35", which has been endorsed by leading health experts. All of the snacks are labeled with 0 grams trans-fat, and fortified with essential vitamins and minerals, such as calcium, vitamin D and B- vitamins. And they taste great - the students find that most impressive.

To create Generation Max(TM), Mars relied on its foundation of strong nutritional science. "We're proud to be the first company to design and bring to market a new line of nutritious snacks just for school vending machines, and the response has been tremendous," said Debo Mukherjee, vice president of marketing for Mars Health & Nutrition. "Schools are stretched to find products that meet today's strict guidelines and that the students will like. The face of school nutrition is changing and our research shows that Generation Max can deliver on taste and nutrition."

In time for the 2007-2008 school year, Generation Max(TM) is available nationwide through vending operators. The new line, priced in line with other vended snacks, consists of ten products: Snickers(R) Cookies, Snickers(R) Clusters, M&M'S(R) Cookies, Twix(R) Clusters, 3Musketeers (R) Chocolate Brownie Bars, 3Musketeers(R) S'Mores Brownie Bars, 3Musketeers(R) Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Bars, Combos(R) Pizza Crackers, Combos(R) Hot 'n Spicy Crackers and Combos (R) Ranch Pretzels.

School representatives can call Mars Snackfood US Vending at 1-800-382- VEND.

About Mars US:

Mars US is the United States food, snack and pet care operations of Mars, Incorporated, one of the world's leading food manufacturers. With more than $7 billion in annual sales in the U.S., the combined food, snack and pet care segments are a symbol of excellence for quality brands. Headquartered in Hackettstown, New Jersey, Mars US employs more than 9,000 associates in the United States, with 52 facilities nationwide. The company owns some of the world's favorite brands, including M&M'S(R) Brand, Snickers(R) Brand, Uncle Ben's(R) Brand, Pedigree(R) Brand Food for Dogs, and Whiskas(R) Brand Food for Cats.

(1) CDC School Health Policy and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2000

Video: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/elevationgroup/29492 Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070901/CLSA001
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Mars US

CONTACT: Emily Korns of R.D. Mars Snackfood US, +1-908-850-2565,
emily.korns@effem.com ; Jessica Rohlik of Elevation Group of Companies,
+1-704-632-2013, jrohlik@elevationgrp.com

Web site: http://www.masterfoods.com//