Mumbai, India: Tata Trusts and Mars, Incorporated today announced their joint entry into a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to advance agriculture development, address malnutrition, and improve food safety in India.
A leading coalition of philanthropic trusts headquartered in India, the Tata Trusts pursues a mission to improve the quality of life of the communities it serves in India. The Trusts include the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, and Navajbhai Ratan Tata Trust.
As one of the world's leading food manufacturers, Mars Incorporated plans to work with the Tata Trusts to develop methods and tools to increase crop productivity, farm income, and sustainability of select agriculture commodities, and to collaborate on the availability of safe, affordable, and sustainable raw materials from India. Commodities of particular focus will include mint, peanuts, rice, and legumes. Mars Food, a segment of Mars, Incorporated, will also conduct joint research with the Tata Trusts on nutritional guidelines that can help address anemia and other forms of malnutrition.
"Given Mars' global leadership in nutritive foods and sustainable agriculture, the Tata Trusts believes this collaboration would have lasting, meaningful benefits for Indian communities," said Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Trusts. "We are particularly inspired by Mars Food's commitment to addressing malnutrition in India – a challenge of growing concern in this country, particularly among children."
Mars and the Tata Trusts also plan to collaborate on reducing Aflatoxin contamination in India's supply chain. Aflatoxin – a naturally occurring, poisonous chemical produced by certain molds – is a critical food safety issue in India. Mars has unique expertise in addressing Aflatoxin contamination and can draw on its Global Food Safety Center in China to conduct future research in this area.
"Today's Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Trusts is an important step in Mars' journey to improve nutrition, food safety, and sustainability in India," said Fiona Dawson, President of Mars Food. "Tata Trusts' strong commitment to improving the quality of life in India, and the depth and breadth of their expertise, makes them a natural partner for Mars."
About Mars Food
Mars Food is a fast-growing food business, making tastier, healthier, easier meals for all consumers to enjoy.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, Mars Food is a leader in producing great tasting products. Our portfolio includes the following brands: UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, SEEDS OF CHANGE®, MasterFoods®, SUZI WAN®, EBLY®, ROYCO®, KAN TONG® and RARIS®. In 2013, global sales were approximately $2 billion.
Our ambition is to become a model business in the areas of health and nutrition and sustainability, as expressed by our purpose: Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow.
Mars Food is a segment of Mars, Incorporated.
About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business with more than a century of history and some of the best-loved brands in the world including M&M'S®, PEDIGREE®, DOUBLEMINT® and UNCLE BEN'S®. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars has more than $33 billion in sales from six diverse business segments: Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 75,000 Associates across 73 countries are united by the company's Five Principles: Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, Mutuality and Freedom and strive every day to create relationships with stakeholders that deliver growth we are proud of as a company.
For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
About Tata Trusts
Tata Trusts are amongst India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development. Tata Trusts seek to be catalysts in development through giving grants to institutions and executing large projects in the areas of Natural Resources Management, Rural Livelihoods, Urban Livelihoods & Poverty, Education, Enhancing Civil Society and Governance, Health and Arts and Culture. Trusts engage competent persons and government bodies, international agencies and like-minded private sector organizations to nurture a self-sustaining eco-system that collectively works across all these areas.
Tata Trusts continue to be guided by the principles of its founder Jamsetji Tata. The Trusts catalyze societal development while ensuring that initiatives and interventions have a contemporary relevance to the nation. In addition to promoting and facilitating initiatives in elementary education, Tata Trusts also awards fellowships, merits and scholarships to students pursuing higher studies. It grooms social scientists, cancer specialists, nuclear scientists and distinguished institutional administrators who in turn, have strived to make the country a power to reckon with in various fields including science and technology. The Trusts also support causes and initiatives that provide disaster relief and aides rescue work in case of calamities. The Trusts not only assists by providing grants and helping mobilize funds, it also offers on-ground support directly as well as in partnership with other stakeholders. For more information please visit https://tatatrusts.org/