“It is not worth endangering lives to promote a candy bar.”

Subj: The Hungry Skies Campaign and Food Allergy Patient Safety Concerns

Name,

In the last several weeks, food allergy nonprofit, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), has reached out to Mars/Wrigley to communicate its concerns about the new Hungry Skies campaign. The campaign is aimed at reintroducing peanuts into an environment (planes) that is unique and represents a tinderbox of circumstances that could potentially endanger the life of a peanut allergy patient.  

In the past several days, FARE has met with the Mars communications team and has been informed that the campaign will proceed, with the addition of a note on the website advising passengers to follow flight attendants’ direction if a person with peanut allergies is on board.   

FARE remains deeply concerned about the potential increased risk posed by this campaign and formally requests a meeting with Mars leadership to discuss these concerns further. Together we hope to find a way forward that communicates the joy that a candy bar represents without compromising the safety of peanut food allergy patients.

Key Considerations:

Food Allergy Patients are a significant consumer group:

Peanuts are no longer served on planes for the most part, due to the risk to food allergy patients. Despite this very real concern, Mars has designed and deployed a campaign to get consumers to bring peanut-containing Snickers on planes in 30 countries.

However, food allergy patients are also consumers.

According to a 2020 McKinsey/FARE study, the food allergy consumer group is approximately 85 million people in the US and half a billion worldwide, defined as those who avoid Top 9 allergens when shopping for food and beverages.

FARE would like to see that community honored rather than disregarded and marginalized.

Peanuts are not the enemy:

No food should be villainized, and expressing concern over this ad campaign does not aim to do so. However, a plane represents a unique environment. At 36,000 feet, with no access to emergency care or trained medical professionals, special care needs to be taken that the conditions for an anaphylactic reaction are not being increased, in this case for the more than 6 million people in the US with a peanut allergy. FARE is concerned that this campaign reverses hard won progress to make air travel safer for those with food allergies.

The American Peanut Council's article: "Residue on tray tables, seats, carpets, and surrounding areas"

The American Peanut Council wrote an article about myths and facts related to peanuts on planes in response to a widely publicized anaphylactic event. The article quotes Dr. Matthew Greenhawt, identified as a pediatric allergist at the University of Michigan. Greenhawt shared that while peanut dust was unlikely to have been the culprit, he said, "...the problem...could be from nut allergens in peanut or tree nut dust and residues that may accumulate on surfaces such as tray tables, seats, carpets and surrounding areas. A nut allergic person – such as a small child - could potentially touch a surface that had not been wiped down first and theoretically ingest some level of allergen, thus presenting far more risk than nut particles..."

In flight incidents: 

In flight incidents of anaphylaxis happen and while they are rare, the conditions that create them could be better controlled. Results from a survey of nearly 5,000 people were introduced at the 2023 annual AAAAI meeting that corroborates FARE’s concerns. (Please find the abstract on page 4, screenshot below and an article about the survey linked here.

Some of the findings from the abstract and the article include:

• 47 percent report [of respondents] being assured of accommodation that was provided. 36 percent report being assured of accommodation that was then not provided.
• 8.5 percent reported 400 in-flight reactions, mostly to peanut or tree nuts, yet 40 percent of passengers did not report their in-flight reactions to the crew or airline.
• 11.8 percent say they were asked to leave a flight or denied boarding.
• 35.6 percent report airline staff treating them in an unprofessional or insensitive manner because of food allergy.
• One-third of passengers also say they are deliberately not reporting their allergies when they fly

Adding burden to the food allergy patient

Living with and managing the chronic (and sometimes acute) disease of food allergy is already challenging enough. Is it right to ask food allergy patients to assume additional risk, which Mars does by working to increase the presence of a major food allergen, specifically on planes? Or is this unnecessary and irresponsible?  

The scientific burden should be on Mars, not food allergy patients

FARE has concerns and until experts confirm through scientific study that increasing the presence of Snickers bars on flights doesn’t pose an added safety hazard in that unique environment that is an airplane, FARE will continue to encourage Mars to abandon this campaign.

This letter is coming from FARE rather than Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE at her request because she is recovering from anaphylaxis even now. She would emphasize that food allergies are a disease of the immune system, not a diet and that this issue is deeply personal for her and the community.

It is not worth endangering lives to promote a candy bar. Please inform us if someone from the leadership team is available for a discussion to explore a path forward.

Best,

[Sent on behalf of Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, by Jennifer Webb, Director of Public Relations]

Recipients of this email:
Claus Aagaard, Chief Financial Officer at Mars, Inc.
Stefanie Straub, Vice President, General Counsel at Mars, Inc.
Eric Minvielle, Vice President, People at Mars, Inc.
Nici Bush, Vice President, Innovation, Science & Technology at Mars, Inc.
Andrew Clarke, Global President, Mars Snacking at Mars, Inc.
Shaid Shah, Global President, Mars Food & Nutrition, Multisales and Global Customer at Mars, Inc.
Rankin Carroll, Mars Snacking Chief Brand Officer at Mars, Inc. (Sent on 7/15/24)

Representatives at BBDO Worldwide (advertising company)

Attempted contact: Poul Weirauch, CEO, Office of the President at Mars, Inc.; Andy Pharaoh, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Mars, Inc.; Rebecca Snow, Vice President, People, at Mars, Inc.