Quality control

Mars pulls samples every hour for quality control. Every morning, a quality assurance team inspects random samples of the foods and the packaging.

“We have a fully developed quality program that details which product attributes we examine for each of the products we make,” says Craig Hall, the general manager of the business. “The final step is, of course, to taste the product to make sure it meets our high standards,”

 A poster on the wall of the room used for the Daily Quality Meeting states: “The consumer is our boss. Quality is our work. And value for money is our goal.” There is also a “peanut changeover pledge” signed by employees who vow to remove peanuts “from nooks and crannies” on the line.

Hall says Mars has “a very proactive supplier certification program as well as an in-house auditing program that we believe is innovative.” It is based on parent company Mars Inc.’s Five Principles, the first of which is Quality.

“Consumers and customers know they can count on Mars’ quality in our products. Therefore, our in-house and supplier audits are thorough and continually renewing. Our goal is to continually raise the bar on our audits and to welcome them as a way for improvement,” Hall says.

For example, in-house audits are conducted weekly, with experienced associates auditing and looking at systems from a new perspective. The company’s “Peer Assists” concept is an in-depth review of systems by peers directly related to specific processes in order to look for new methods, materials and ideas for improvement.

“These have been very effective and allow us to compare and contrast, giving us the opportunity to pick the best ideas for improvement,” Hall says.